Iran's response to Obama for improving ties
Iran-USA, Politics, 1/28/2009

US President Barack Obama said that the new US Administration will seek greater diplomatic engagement with Iran.

In his first formal interview as president, Obama told the Arabic-language news channel al-Arabiya that he will seek to open talks with Iran.

"It is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress," he said in the interview that was broadcast Tuesday.

"If countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad welcomed the possibility of US change, but said "When they say 'we want to make changes', change can happen in two ways."

"First is a fundamental and effective change... The second... is a change of tactics. It is very clear that, if the meaning of change is the second one, this will soon be revealed," he said.

"The US stood against the Iranian people in the past 60 years," President Ahmadi-Nejad said in reference to the military coup the US engineered against the nationalist government of Mohammad Mossadeq in 1953. "Those who speak of change must apologize to the Iranian people and try to repair their past crimes," he said.

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