Excerpts: Iran changes tone on Israelis, Americans. Betancourt rescue 21
July 2008
+++Saudi Gazette 21 July '08:"Iran changes tone on Israelis, Americans "
QUOTE: " 'No nation in the world is our enemy'"
FULL TEXT:TEHRAN - Iran is "friends with the Israeli people," a deputy of
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, in stark contrast to Tehran's usual
verbal assaults against the Jewish state, local media reported on 20 July.
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, vice president in charge of tourism and one of
Ahmadinejad's closest confidants, also described the people of Iran's
arch-enemy the United States as "one of the best nations in the world."
"Today, Iran is friends with the American and Israeli people. No nation in
the world is our enemy, this is an honor," Rahim Mashaie said, according to
the Fars news agency and Etemad newspaper.
"We regard the American people as one of the best nations in the world."
Rahim Mashaie is one of the figures closest to the president in the Iranian
government. This was emphasized earlier this year when his daughter married
Ahmadinejad's son.
Meanwhile, Iran was given a two-week deadline to give a final answer to
world powers seeking a breakthrough in the nuclear crisis, after talks with
the EU foreign policy chief ended in stalemate.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief
Javier Solana hailed their latest talks in Geneva Saturday as "constructive"
but Solana lamented that Tehran had still not given a final response.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the talks as a "step
forward" in the nuclear standoff, which has raised fears of regional
conflict and sent oil prices spiraling.
Solana, who presented Iran with a major package aimed at ending the standoff
on behalf of world powers last month, said he was waiting for a decision
from Tehran on an initial deal to start pre-negotiations.
This would see world powers promising not to impose further UN Security
Council resolutions against Tehran, in exchange for Iran not installing any
more uranium-enriching centrifuges, he said.
"We have not got an answer to the most important issue... we are looking
forward to an answer to these questions in a couple of weeks," said Solana.
Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Kisliak, who attended the talks,
said he too expected a response from Iran in two weeks.
+++JORDAN TIMES 21 July '08:" 'Mossad involved in Betancourt rescue'
".Agence
France Presse
QUOTE:"Israel (involved) in order to maintain good bilateral relations with
Columbia and the US"
FULL TEXT:MADRID (AFP) - Mossad, the Israeli secret service, was involved in
the operation to free hostage Ingrid Betancourt from Colombian rebels, a
Spanish newspaper claimed Sunday, saying that the US and French secret
services were also involved. "Mossad,the US and French intelligence services
worked for more than a year with the Colombian authorities to develop the
plan," Vanguardia said, citing an Israeli secret service source. Colombian
armed forces freed Franco-Colombian politician Betancourt, three US
nationals and 11 Colombian soldiers on July 2 from the jungle, where they
were being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
According to Vanguardia, Israel, France and the US had different reasons for
participating in the operation: France because of Betancourt's half-French
nationality, the US because of the three Americans in the group and Israel
in order to maintain good bilateral relations with Colombia and the US.
===================================================
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA