Obama appeals to Iranian people in Internet video

[babylonsister]

This should make the wingnuts' heads explode.


Obama appeals to Iranian people in Internet video

By PHILIP ELLIOTT
Associated Press Writer


WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a fresh appeal directly to the Iranian people, President Barack Obama says in an online video that the United States wants more educational and cultural exchanges for their students and better access to the Internet to give them a more hopeful future.

In the video, the second of his presidency directed at Iran, Obama said that the United States' offer of diplomatic dialogue still stands but that the Iranian government has chosen isolation. He said the U.S. believes in the dignity of every human being.

The White House released the video late Friday, timing it, as it did last year, to coincide with Nowruz, a 12-day holiday celebrating the arrival of spring and the beginning of the new year on the Persian calendar. The video comes as the United States has hit a rough patch in its relationships in the region, particularly with Israel.

"The United States believes in the dignity of every human being and an international order that bends the arc of history in the direction of justice - a future where Iranians can exercise their rights, to participate fully in the global economy and enrich the world through educational and cultural exchanges beyond Iran's borders," Obama said in the video, which had Farsi subtitles.

Even though the United States and Iran continue to have differences, Obama said, "we will sustain our commitment to a more hopeful future for the Iranian people - for instance, by increasing opportunities for educational exchanges so that Iranian students can come to our colleges and universities and through our efforts to ensure that Iranians can have access to the software and Internet technology that will enable them to communicate with each other and with the world without fear of censorship."

more...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_OBAMA_IRAN?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[Clio the Leo]

1. The fact that he thinks diplomacy with Iran is THIS important.....

.... scares the CRAP out of me.

[babylonsister]

2. It doesn't scare me. He's appealing to the Iranians who might think

their 'leader' is nuts, and as usual, he's being diplomatic. I don't know any other way this should be handled, but think appealing to the people vs. the whackjob is the right way to go.

[AngryAmish]

3. Video is months late

The state has won this debate by killing/imprisoning it's opponents. THis video is too late.

[babylonsister]

4. It's not the first video where he's addressed the Iranian people,

and both messages were similar, so I don't think he's late at all. He's just reinforcing what he's said before.

[ensho]

5. don't be scared. Iranians are not stupid enough to use nuke bomb

be scared of Israel using it.