Obama says he is ready to sit across the table with the Iranians

Source: Agencies, 09-02-2009

WASHINGTON - In his first prime-time news conference as president, Obama repeated Monday campaign pledges to rethink three decades of enmity with Iran, adding that his administration is looking for opportunities to open direct talks with longtime adversary Iran.

"My national security team is currently reviewing our existing Iran policy, looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue, where we can directly engage with them," Obama said. "My expectation is that in the coming months we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face to face."

Obama said he is ready to explore every opportunity to engage with the Iranian leadership, and not see it as a rogue state with whom business cannot be done.

On future relations with Iran, Obama told reporters at his first press conference: "We should take an approach with Iran that employs all of the resources at the United States disposal, and that includes diplomacy, and so my national security team is currently reviewing our existing Iran policy, looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue, where we can directly engage with them.",

"And my expectation is in the coming months we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table face to face - diplomatic overtures that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction," he added.

"There's been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it's not going to happen overnight, and it's important that even as we engage in this direct diplomacy, we are very clear about certain deep concerns that we have as a country. That Iran understands that we find the funding of terrorist organizations unacceptable. That we're clear about the fact that," Obama said.

As far as the situation in the Middle East was concerned, CBS quoted the President as saying: "There will be clear objectives. If you look at how we've approached the Middle East, my designation of George Mitchell as a special envoy to help deal with the Arab-‘Israeli' situation, some of the interviews that I've given, it indicates the degree to which we want to do things differently in the region."

"Now it's time for Iran to send some signals that it wants to act differently, as well, and recognize that, even as it has some rights as a member of the international community, with those rights come responsibilities."

Excerpt on Iran from President Obama's press conference
Washington - Source-azstarnet.com, 10-02-2009
OK. Karen Boeing of Reuters?

Question: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to shift gears to foreign policy. What is your strategy for engaging Iran? And when will you start to implement it? Will your timetable be affected at all by the Iranian elections? And are you getting any indications that Iran is interested in a dialogue with the United States?
Obama: I said during the campaign that Iran is a country that has extraordinary people, extraordinary history and traditions....

What I've also said is that we should take an approach with Iran that employs all of the resources at the United States' disposal, and that includes diplomacy.
And so my national security team is currently reviewing our existing Iran policy, looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue, where we can directly engage with them.
And my expectation is, in the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table, face-to-face diplomatic overtures, that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction.

There's been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it's not going to happen overnight. ...
So there are going to be a set of objectives that we have in these conversations, but I think that there's the possibility at least of a relationship of mutual respect and progress.

And I think that, if you look at how we've approached the Middle East, my designation of George Mitchell as a special envoy to help deal with the Arab-"Israeli" situation, some of the interviews that I've given, it indicates the degree to which we want to do things differently in the region.
Now it's time for Iran to send some signals that it wants to act differently, as well, and recognize that, even as it has some rights as a member of the international community, with those rights come responsibilities.