US Considers Visa Request from New Iranian President

[lovuian]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=340942cf07d55091&cat=c08dd24cec417021

US Considers Visa Request from New Iranian President
By David Gollust
Washington
08 August 2005




Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
The Bush administration said Monday it was considering whether to grant a visa request by Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month. The new Iranian leader has been accused of being directly involved in the seizure of U.S. diplomats in Tehran in 1979. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The United States is obligated under the 1947 United Nations headquarters agreement not to impede the travel of world leaders to attend U.N. functions in New York.

But it is considering the apparently unprecedented step of denying the Iranian president a visa, if a U.S. investigation determines that he had direct involvement in the 1979 storming of the American embassy in Tehran and holding diplomats hostage for more than a year.

more...
I would bet Bush denies him it!!!

[mitchtv]

1. What's another treaty?

I agree

[enid602]

2. *

This might have some great distraction value for *, the '79 hostage crisis being such an emotional value for many. Bet * will milk it for what it's worth. Might be a good opportunity to start turning Americans against Iran, so he can start WW III.

[mom cat]

3. We need to keep bringing up the delay in the hostage release that

effectively defeated Jimmy Carter and the re-puke role in that delay!

[wli]

4. so they're trying to milk the 1980 election rigging scheme for WWIII?

Pretty sleazy.

[Moderator]

5. kick

[Gloria]

6. US Mulls Visa Ban for Iranian President--Daily Star (UN visit)

From the new World Media Watch up NOW at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, August 10, 2005

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=17513



U.S. MULLS VISA BAN FOR IRANIAN PRESIDENT

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

The United States mulled the unprecedented step of refusing Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad a visa to attend next month's UN General Assembly, the State Department said.

Deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said the U.S. was looking at the visa request by Ahmadinejad in light of allegations he might have been involved in the 1979 seizure of U.S. diplomats in Teheran.



The U.S. is obliged to permit world leaders to attend UN meetings at the organization's headquarters in New York. UN officials confirmed no visa had ever been refused for a head of state.



(SNIP)



But Ereli said that in reviewing the Iranian president's request, the Americans were "also taking into consideration previous activities with respect to hostage-taking."


(SNIP)



Tehran slammed Washington for threatening to reject the visa. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: "We hope the Americans will not make such a big mistake. If the Americans cannot host the UN guests, they do not deserve to have the UN headquarters in their country."

[KamaAina]

7. It may be a first for a head of state, but we did it to Arafat

when he wished to address tne UN. They ended up holding that session in Geneva.

If the Americans cannot host the UN guests, they do not deserve to have the UN headquarters in their country.

The UN does have a standing invitation to relocate to Montreal, where this sort of thing would presumably not be an issue.

[PassingFair]

8. Iran, Iran, Iran....Jeez, you'd think

...we were about to INVADE IT, or something....

[IndianaGreen]

9. And how is this going to make things better with Iran?

Who is going to hold the US accountable for our support of the Shah of Iran, and the 1954 CIA coup that put the Shah in power?

Bush is such a despicable character that if I were forced to choose between him and Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadineja, I would choose Ahmadineja.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend!

[firefox]

10. The UN needs to leave NY

The US is the antithesis of peace. The countries of the world could make a big statement and do the right thing and leave NY. Of course they could declare the US a rogue nation and kick them out until they did something about their warcriminals and illegal wars.

[silverweb]

11. Hang on a sec.

The UN complex sits on international territory, doesn't it? In that case, couldn't he just helicopter in from Canada and therefore not require a visa or any U.S. permissions?

Now that would be thumbing his nose at the U.S.!

:D

[msongs]

12. bush is allowed and he murdered tens of thousands of Iraqis nt

[MADem]

13. They have already looked at the photos, and the guy that they THOUGHT

was him was actually a foot taller. The former mayor of Teheran is a shorty...like, five four or five with lifts in his shoes. Unless the guy got into a shrinking machine AND got a full facial reconstruction, it ain't the same guy...of course, he follows a certain paradigm that was popular amongst the pasaradan in the late 70's--the beard, the haircut, the suit style. They all looked like clones, frankly, and I suspect they did it on purpose.

You can't fault someone for not updating their "look" and because some traumatized ex-hostages can't tell the difference between the short bearded guy and the tall bearded guy.

In any event, this is another story that will make us look like asses round the world. We can't act as UN gatekeepers, if we keep that up, they WILL move--and we will become less relevant if that happens....

[wli]

14. UN HQ will be moved to Geneva the day they pull such a stunt

I doubt Bolton will mind.

[VegasWolf]

15. I predict that whatever the stupidest political move would be, THAT

will be the move Brain chooses.