Bill Clinton Supports Dialogue With IranBy Associated Press
December 7, 2006, 11:59 PM EST
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Former President Bill Clinton on Thursday endorsed
the idea of talks with Iran and Syria to help ease the bloodletting in Iraq,
saying it would also be in Tehran's interests.
Clinton spoke in the Netherlands the day after the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan
panel that included senior officials from his administration, proposed engaging
the two Middle Eastern countries -- and U.S. foes -- in the search for peace
in Iraq.
"I agree that we should reach out to the Iranians and the Syrians and try to get
a regional solution. Right now the Iranians don't want to do anything, probably
because their policy seems to be, whatever causes America heartburn is good
for us," Clinton told the Dutch TV program Nova.
"But the truth is there are 1.6 million Iraqi refugees already," he explained,
adding that there could be as many as 10 million if the situation deteriorated
to a point similar to the worst days of the Bosnian conflict.
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