Iran Lawmakers Seek U.S. Friendship

Parliamentarians Trying To Form Committee To Hold Contacts With Congress

(AP)  Iranian deputies were gathering signatures to try and form an Iranian-U.S. friendship committee in parliament to hold contacts with the U.S. Congress, legislators involved in the historic effort said Tuesday.

It was the first effort organized by parliament to find a way to bridge nearly three decades of estrangement between the U.S. and Iran. It comes days after the governments of the two countries agreed to hold direct talks on one of the main issues dividing them — the conflict in Iraq.

Darioush Ghanbari, one of at least 10 deputies who has signed the document calling for the establishment of the committee, said Iranian parliamentarians were seeking to reduce tensions with America and "explain Iran's realities to the U.S. Congress."

The document had signatures from both conservatives and reformists and more signatures from the 290-member legislature were expected by the end of the day, Ghanbari said.

"In the absence of formal diplomatic relations, we seek to establish a parliamentary relationship with the U.S. Congress and fill the existing gap of contacts between the two nations," Ghanbari, a pro-reform lawmaker, told The Associated Press.

No specific number of deputies is required to form such a committee. The document signed by lawmakers will be presented to the parliament's speaker, who has the right to accept or reject it.

It was unclear what he would do. The speaker is Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, a close associate of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds final say in all matters in Iran. Haddad Adel is considered a relative moderate among the conservatives and hard-liners who make up Iran's top leadership, and it is likely he would consult with Khamenei before taking any decision.

Washington severed diplomatic ties with Tehran after Iranian militant students stormed its embassy in Tehran in 1979, to protest America's refusal to hand over Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for trial.

Ever since, talk of ties with the United States has long been a taboo among Iran's hard-line clerical leadership. Hard-liners stymied cautious efforts by reformists in the late 1990s to open up contacts with Americans — though the leadership has condoned occasional talks on specific issues with Washington.

One hard-line lawmaker, Saeed Aboutaleb, denounced the effort to create the friendship committee, saying Tuesday, "the nation will strike the mouth of these lawmakers."

Khamenei's stance on the committee was not known. But Iran's acceptance of ambassador-level talks with the U.S. on improving Iraq's security could be a sign the supreme leader sees the need for contact with the United States amid the two countries' escalating tensions.

The United States accuses Iran of fueling Iraq's violence by backing militants there, a charge Iran denies. Tehran, in turn, says the U.S. troop presence in Iraq is the cause of the country's turmoil. Washington and its allies also accuse Iran of seeking to build nuclear weapons — a charge Iran also denies — and the United Nations has imposed limited sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment.

The Iraqi government — which is backed by the United States but also close to Iran — has pushed for the two countries to end their disputes.

Proponents of the friendship committee said it could help avert anti-Iranian legislatation by the U.S. Congress.

"If (Iranian) government officials are reconciling with Americans, why can't the Iranian nation reconcile with the American people?" said Jalal Hosseini, another Iranian reformist lawmaker who signed the petitition.

"We are seeking to form this friendship comittee to undermine anti-Iran policies of the Bush administration and show our good will and our peace-loving spirits," he said.

[grazinggoat]

Proponents of the friendship committee said it could help avert anti-Iranian legislatation by the U.S. Congress.

"If (Iranian) government officials are reconciling with Americans, why can't the Iranian nation reconcile with the American people?" said Jalal Hosseini, another Iranian reformist lawmaker who signed the petitition

-The problem lies in the fact that most of the USA populations are made of minorities (frequently opposition minorities) that left their original contry to take a halt and strike back in the original country they come from, in order to retake power if possible or reshape their motherland's policy course in order to favour their return.

-For a better success Iranian lawmakers should have forseen the pressure mounting into their ranks and coming form the exterior in order to make some strategic openness without hurting their identity. Iranian leaders took example from Cuba's Fidel, to assess that they can survive the pressure. Error. Big Error. Cuba has NO OIL. Cuba was contained onto an Island, with no further development, unlike Iran that made a fulgurant development in the late 10-20 yrs... despite the economic sanctions imposed by the USA policy makers.

It would be a great move if Iran continued in such initiatives as this friendship ones. After all governments are made of people with hearts and souls.

[randalds]

I think it would be wonderful for the lawmakers on both sides to be speaking freely and openly to each other. The "leaders" of both nations have proven that they're unable to do anything except rattle sabers and mouth veiled (and not so veiled) threats at each other, so let's make a more direct contact that goes around the both of them.

[randalds]

I think it would be wonderful for the lawmakers on both sides to be speaking freely and openly to each other. The "leaders" of both nations have proven that they're unable to do anything except rattle sabers and mouth veiled (and not so veiled) threats at each other, so let's make a more direct contact that goes around the both of them.

[hham2468]

Do you mean that Iran is going to disarm Hezbollah, and the thousands of terrorist they say they have signed up for suiside bombings? Do you mean that they are going to stop enriching uraniaum or is that Iraniaum? Their President also said he was going through Babylon, which is Iraq to wipe Israel off the face of the map! We know that not all Iranians are terrorist, but their leaders are terrorist! We hope the good Iranins take control of Iran!

[hham2468]

Do you mean that Iran is going to disarm Hezbollah and the thousands of terrorist they say they have signed up for suiside bombings? Their President also said he was going through Babylon, which is Iraq to wipe Israel off the face of the map! We know that not all Iranians are terrorist, but their leaders are terrorist!