WASHINGTON, March 21 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Barack Obama has delivered a message to Iran by videotape on Nowruz, the traditional Iranian new year, offering a "new beginning" with Tehran.
"I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Obama said in a three-minute speech made available on the Internet and sent to international broadcasters on Friday.
"We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community," Obama said.
CONTROVERSIAL MESSAGE
U.S. mass media hailed the positive message to Iran by Obama asan opening bid in a diplomatic drive, because "it contrasted sharply with the greetings sent by President George W. Bush a year ago."
It has been noticed that instead of using hostile words by Bush, like "regime," "tough period in history for the Iranian people," Obama chose official or friendly words for Iran. For example, he said, "I would like to speak clearly to Iran’s leaders," "We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."
What Obama said in the video sounds indeed different from his predecessor. However, international observers complain that nothing in concrete has happened yet about the reconciliation between the United States and Iran. For now, actually, U.S. diplomats remain shy to have face-to-face talks with their Iranian counterparts.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has no immediate plan to have a separate meeting with Iran’s delegation at an international conference on Afghanistan in the Hague on March 31, State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood told a news briefing on Wednesday.
Speaking of U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Patrick Moon’s plan to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 27, the spokesman reiterated the next day that the Obama administration has no plan for any substantive meetings with Iranians.
What is worse is that Obama said in a message to Congress last week that his administration will continue its sanctions against Iran as "the actions and policies of the Government of Iran are contrary to the interests of the United States in the region and pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and economy.
OLD FOES
The drastic rows between Washington and Tehran have been going on since 1979 when the Islamic Revolution broke out in Iran, during which Iranian students occupied the American embassy in Teheran and held 52 Americans as hostage for 444 days.
Far beyond the so-called "shame" for Americans, Iran’s insistence to hold on disputed nuclear program and the remarkable development of ballistic missiles have long become important excuses for the Bush administration to deploy a missile defense shield in East Europe.
As Obama confessed, the Unite States and Iran are separated by "serious differences," it is hard for anyone to believe that Washington and Tehran, which have been in tense relations for decades, will turn to be reconciled simply because of the change in state leaders and some kind of rhetorics.
Fortunately, hope for peace remains in people’s mind. The Obama administration has many steps planned to encourage dialogue with Tehran, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters after the release of Obama’s video message to Iran’s leaders and people on Friday.
Although Gibbs declined to specify the details of the steps, many people are willing to believe that some positive measures about U.S.-Iran relations will soon be taken by the White House.
Patience is needed for any change in the rivalries. And the first touch-stone available for everyone might be to see if U.S. officials talk to Iranians at the upcoming international conference on Afghanistan.
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