White House ‘Reprimanded Swiss Ambassador’ For Delivering 2003 Iranian Offer For Negotiations

[RedEarth]

In an interview with Democracy Now, Trita Parsi — former congressional aide to ex-Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) — disclosed more details about his recent revelation that an Iranian offer for negotiations with the Bush administration was delivered to senior political adviser Karl Rove in 2003.

According to Parsi, Rove confirmed receipt of the Iranian offer two hours after it was delivered to him, calling it “intriguing.” Subsequently, Parsi claims there was a “discussion about this at the highest level in the Bush administration.” Hard-liners, led by Dick Cheney, immediately rejected it, even going so far as “reprimand the Swiss ambassador for having delivered it.”

Parsi echoed the criticisms of former NSC official Flynt Leverett, who has said that Condoleezza Rice — then National Security Adviser — saw the offer. Rice now says, “I don’t know what Flynt Leverett’s talking about.” Weighing in on the dispute, Parsi said, “I find it highly unlikely that they did not see it. I frankly believe that it’s beyond unlikely that they didn’t see.”



http://thinkprogress.org/2007/02/26/parsi-iran-offer/

[Xipe Totec]

1. Well, do you know what Hercules did to Lichas,

when Lichas delivered the death garment?

[rodeodance]

2. double negitives confuse me---but now I get it.

I frankly believe that it’s beyond unlikely that they didn’t see.”.....

[louis-t]

3. Right, Condi didn't see it, 'forgot' about the 16 words, etc., etc.

Useless, useless woman.

[madhoosier]

4. I just saw the interview

I liked Parsi's comparison that in 2003 the Bush administration refused to negotiate because they were negotiating from a position of strength. Now in 2007 the Bush administration is refusing to negotiate with Iran because they would have to negotiate from a position of weakness. The simple truth is that no matter what, the Bush administration is not going to seek a negotiated settlement to the hoped for military confrontation with Iran.

As a second point I'm now more sure that the leak to Ahmed Chalabi that the NSA had broken Iran's diplomatic code and was reading all of Iran's diplomatic correspondence between Tehran and her Embassies was no accident. Had the intelligence pros in State, the CIA and elsewhere through the government had continued access to this window into the heart of Iran's government the administration's case for war with Iran would have been an impossible sell inside the intelligence community.