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| Axis of Evil |
| Iran opens bureau in Dubai to pursue contacts with US |
| 2002-08-28 |
| A top advisor to Khamenei has opened a "liaison bureau" in the Persian Gulf to nurture contacts with the US administration, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Tuesday. Former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati has set up the office after "managing to convince Khamenei of the need to establish dialogue with the United States before a US military campaign starts against Iraq," the daily said. "I mean, lookee here, Boss: sure, they're hegemonists and all, but if they whack Sammy and his Elite Revolutionary Guard®, then they're gonna start lookin' at us, and our Elite Revolutionary Guard®. Puttin' the talk to the U.N. doesn't seem to be workin' for Sammy. If worse comest to worst, I wanna be the Voice of Reason, instead of gettin' hung with my own turban..." The despatch, datelined London, quoted a former Iranian diplomat close to Velayati, who ran Iran's foreign ministry for more than 15 years, saying he had been charged with "contacting influential circles in the United States to find common ground to establish a dialogue between the two countries." The source said Velayati "enjoys the trust of Ayatollah Khamenei, which allows him to play the role of postman between the Guide and the US administration." "Well, you can just go right back to Teheran and tell your boss that he can't be khalif, no matter what it says in the hadiths..." The pan-Arab newspaper noted that the opening of the Iranian bureau, which could not be confirmed in Dubai, comes despite public warnings by Khamenei to the government and MPs against contact with the administration of President George Bush. That's the left side of his mouth talking. This is the right side of his mouth. Asharq al-Awsat said other Iranian officials, including former head of state and Expediency Council leader Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, were trying to open channels to Washington but that the administration seems to prefer dealing with the reformist president and his advisors. Something to do with that "Death to America!" chant... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |