Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/The_US_Iran_Meeting_That_Wasnt/1600822.html
The U.S.-Iran Meeting that Wasn't
[RadioFreeEurope-RadioLiberty] Golnaz Esfandiari and Mehrdad Mirdamadi - Diplomats from the U.S. and Iran sat at the same table during a conference on Afghanistan in The Hague on March 31. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that a meeting took place between (U.S. special representative) Richard Holbrooke and the head of Iran's delegation, Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh. Yet a day after the conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qhasghavi said: "There was no official or unofficial meeting or conversation between the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and America on the sidelines of the conference." In any case, reports of a "meeting" would contradict Iran's position that they expect concrete steps from Washington - such as lifting sanctions or recovering frozen assets - before Tehran will talk to U.S. officials.