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Iranians Want to Talk to U.S. Congress
A group of Iranian lawmakers wants to create a "friendship committee" that would open contacts with the U.S. Congress -- an unprecedented attempt to build ties at a time when Iran's hard-line leadership also appears willing to talk with the country's No. 1 enemy.Proponents hope the effort, for which they were gathering petition signatures Tuesday, will be condoned by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in national matters. Contacts between the countries have long been taboo, a status enforced by Iran's top leadership -- made up of Shiite clerics -- since the U.S. cut ties with Iran after the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. More recently, as tension between the two countries over Iran's nuclear program and other issues has escalated, the dialogue situation has also shifted. Over the weekend, the two governments agreed to hold ambassador-level talks about Iran's war-torn neighbor, Iraq. A so-called "friendship committee" would open a unique channel of communication between politicians, who presumably could tackle any topic. "If (Iranian) government officials can reconcile with Americans, why can't the Iranian nation reconcile with the American people?" asked Jalal Hosseini, a pro-reform lawmaker who signed the petition. So far, proponents have gathered 20 signatures and plan to seek more at the 290-seat parliament. Backers come from across Iran's political spectrum. No specific number of deputies is required to form the group, and proponents hope to have the petition ready for submission by Sunday. Then, it's up to the parliament speaker, Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, to accept or reject the idea. Posted by: Captain America 2007-05-15 |
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