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| Press Release: September 29, 2006 | ||
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| OLVER CALLS FOR PRESIDENT TO OPEN DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS WITH IRAN | ||
WASHINGTON, D.C. In a letter to President Bush, John Olver (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations subcommittee, called for President Bush to open direct diplomatic channels with Iran. Olver was one of 19 Representatives to sign the letter. Below is the text of the letter. September 29, 2006 President George W. Bush The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We applaud your recent comments to the Iranian people as quoted in the Washington Post. "I would like to say to the Iranian people: We respect your history. We respect your culture...I recognize the importance of your sovereignty that you're a proud nation...I understand that you believe it is in your interest, your sovereign interest, and your right to have nuclear power...I would want to work for a solution to meeting your rightful desires to have civilian nuclear power. I would tell the Iranian people that we have no desire for conflict." If we hope to convince the American people, our allies, and the international community that we are committed to resolving this matter diplomatically, the US must open up direct diplomatic channels with Tehran. We also feel that the visa granted to former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, the visa granted to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the UN and his talks to members of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki's visit to Iran are all significant events that can lead to direct talks between the US and Iranian leaders. As you are aware, the US has not pursued formal diplomatic dialogue with Iran for nearly 26 years. This "no negotiation" stance has not yielded positive results, however. As the US-Iran diplomatic crisis escalates, our negotiation efforts at the United Nations have been conducted by the UK, France, and Germany. Yet these nations have thus far had little success with regard to Iran's nuclear program. IAEA Chief Mohammad El-Baradei, the UN Secretary Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and many Middle East security experts all agree that US participation is the missing piece of the puzzle. No diplomatic approach that rejects direct talks with Iran can be regarded as a serious effort to seek a peaceful solution. As you know, the decision-making power under Iran's government is diffuse. Although we are all familiar with the inflammatory rhetoric of President Ahmadinejad, there are certainly other significant governmental bodies in Iran that have demonstrated moderation and an eagerness for dialogue. We believe that such bodies should be sought out for diplomatic engagement. There are seldom occasions in history where a great country should fear dialogue with a potential adversary. On the contrary, dialogue is needed to explain the compelling nature of America's objectives in the Middle East. More than 25 years of isolating Iran has moved us farther from, not closer to, achieving these goals. No one can dispute that the US has a strong track record of diplomatic successes in autocratic societies after opening negotiation channels. We believe America's diplomats are the best in the world, and should be allowed to apply their talents to our conflicts with Iran. We therefore respectfully urge you to begin the process of holding direct talks with Iran as soon as possible. |
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