Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is quite pleased that the United States government is approaching foreign policy with a new attitude. He is willing to deal with the USA based upon "mutual respect and equality." Ahmadinejad is all about CHANGE.
As long as it's the United States that does all the changing. (link)
In an interview with Iranian state-run television, Mr Ahmadinejad once again called upon Washington's new administration of President Barack Obama to implement changes that could make a "real" difference in the region.
"If they accept the rights of the Palestinians, the Afghans… if there is a real change, relations can change," he said.
"We are waiting to see the change. A lot of people are awaiting the change and if they [the United States] do change the relationship will change itself."
However, Mr Ahmadinejad also said his country's controversial nuclear programme which the West suspects is aimed at making atomic weapons is a "closed" chapter.
"If anybody wants to talk of the nuclear issue, they would be hurting themselves," he said in the television interview.
So, if the USA allows Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, and if the USA gets out of Afghanistan, and if the USA drops it's support of Israel, and if the USA supports the Palestinians instead, then that is change that Ahmadinejad can believe in. As for anything else, forget it.
Piece of cake. Who said it would be difficult to deal with Iran ?
Iran has decided the nuclear issue is "closed" without letting the UN know what Iran is up to.
"Iran right now is not providing any access, any clarification with regards to the whole area of possible military dimension," said Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
It must be those failed Bush policies that are causing Iran to be so uncooperative.
North Korea also showed it's willingness to change during Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton's meeting with Asian leaders in Tokyo, by immediately threatening to test launch a new missile capable of reaching the United States. (link)
In an apparent attempt to command attention, North Korea hinted that it will test-launch a Taepodong 2 missile from its eastern coast.
"One will come to know later what will be launched," the government's state-run Korean Central News Agency said as the regime celebrated the 67th birthday of leader Kim Jong Il. It said the effort was related to "space development," rather than military ambitions.
At an appearance today with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, Clinton responded that a missile launch by Pyongyang "would be very unhelpful in moving our relationship forward."
North Korean technicians have been assembling a Taepodong missile, and intelligence officials believe it is nearly ready to be fired, according to South Korean media. The missile may have the potential to reach Alaska and possibly the West Coast.
North Korea is also threatening to attack South Korea over a border dispute.
Quick, somebody send Kim Jong Il tapes of a couple Obama speeches, so he can see the error of his ways.
Pakistan has agreed to stop fighting extremists in the northwest part of the country, allowing Taliban-style Islamic rule to be imposed there. Big victory for the bad guys. (link)
Battle-weary residents welcomed a pro-Taliban cleric dispatched by the government Tuesday to convince militants in the former tourist haven of Swat to stop fighting in exchange for the imposition of Islamic law and suspension of military offensives there.
Sufi Muhammad arrived in a caravan of some 300 vehicles in Swat Valley's main city of Mingora a day after he struck the truce, which a U.S. defense official called "negative" and critics said represented a surrender to extremists fanning out from nearby strongholds close to the Afghan border.
NATO also expressed dismay. "We would all be concerned by a situation in which extremists would have safe haven," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said at a news briefing. "It is certainly reason for concern."
In response to these troubling signs coming from the world's most repressive and unstable regimes, President Obama said…….well, I couldn't find anything, but I'm sure he's on top of the situation. Obama didn't cause these problems, you know. Um, Bush did ?
