Iran is friends with Israeli people: Ahmadinejad aide - US "one of the best nations in the world"

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.metimes.com/Politics/2008/07/20/iran_is_friends_with_israeli_people_ahmadinejad_aide/afp/

Published: July 20, 2008

TEHRAN (AFP) 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 Sunday.

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 honour," Rahim Mashaie said, according to the Fars news agency and Etemad newspaper.

"Of course we have enemies and the most unfair hostilities are committed against the Iranian people," he said on the sidelines of a tourism congress in Tehran.

"We regard the American people as one of the best nations in the world."

[Mr. Blonde]

1. I don't know if I would go so far as to call

the Iranian people pro-US but certainly they are much friendlier to us than many other countries populance in the Middle East. I'm in no way advocating war with them, but I do think they would be much easier to turn into an ally than Iraq has proven to be.

[notadmblnd]

3. I agree with you, I thik they've made some overatures that the US as rudley declined

If, I'm not mistaken, they offered to help us after 911; to go after the Taliban.The powers that be, lashed out at them instead? Can someone correct me?

[LeftishBrit]

2. Interesting...

don't know whether this marks a real change; but I hope so!

I tend to suspect that practically anything that Iranian leaders say about foreign policy - whether hawkish or dovish - has rather more to do with internal jockeying for power than is often acknowledged by the other countries.

Anyway it would be nice if Iran stopped having its bogeynations - and it would also be nice if America did!