The Washington Post & The Fars News Agency – 2009-03-21 23:02:46
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123752091165792573.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle
President Obama’s Nowruz Message to Iran
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON (March 20, 2009) — This is the transcript Obama’s video to the Iranian people for Nowruz, which goes far beyond the general Nowruz statements issued by previous Presidents Bush and Clinton.
THE PRESIDENT: Today I want to extend my very best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz around the world.
This holiday is both an ancient ritual and a moment of renewal, and I hope that you enjoy this special time of year with friends and family.
In particular, I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nowruz is just one part of your great and celebrated culture. Over many centuries your art, your music, literature and innovation have made the world a better and more beautiful place.
Here in the United States our own communities have been enhanced by the contributions of Iranian Americans. We know that you are a great civilization, and your accomplishments have earned the respect of the United States and the world.
For nearly three decades relations between our nations have been strained. But at this holiday we are reminded of the common humanity that binds us together. Indeed, you will be celebrating your New Year in much the same way that we Americans mark our holidays — by gathering with friends and family, exchanging gifts and stories, and looking to the future with a renewed sense of hope.
Within these celebrations lies the promise of a new day, the promise of opportunity for our children, security for our families, progress for our communities, and peace between nations. Those are shared hopes, those are common dreams.
So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran’s leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.
You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right — but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create.
So on the occasion of your New Year, I want you, the people and leaders of Iran, to understand the future that we seek. It’s a future with renewed exchanges among our people, and greater opportunities for partnership and commerce. It’s a future where the old divisions are overcome, where you and all of your neighbors and the wider world can live in greater security and greater peace.
I know that this won’t be reached easily. There are those who insist that we be defined by our differences. But let us remember the words that were written by the poet Saadi, so many years ago: “The children of Adam are limbs to each other, having been created of one essence.”
With the coming of a new season, we’re reminded of this precious humanity that we all share. And we can once again call upon this spirit as we seek the promise of a new beginning.
Thank you, and Eid-eh Shoma Mobarak.
Leader: US Hostility towards Iran Remains Unchanged
Fars News Agency
TEHRAN (March 21, 2009) — Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called for a real change in Washington’s attitude towards Tehran, saying that the US has shown no practical change in its hostile policies on Iran.
“They give the slogan of change but in practice no change is seen … We haven’t seen any change,” Khamenei said in a televised speech to mark the Iranian New Year.
The remarks by Ayatollah Khamenei came a day after US President Barack Obama issued an unprecedented videotaped appeal to the country, offering Iran a “new beginning” of diplomatic engagement between the two old foes.
Also on Saturday, the Iranian Supreme Leader made a second reference to the issue during his address to masses of people in the northeastern city of Mashhad, and said, “They congratulate Iranians on the New Year but at the same time they accuse Iran of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear arms.”
Khamenei said a change of US “words” was not enough and added, “We will watch and we will judge (the new US administration) … You change, our behavior will change.”
The Leader criticized US behavior towards Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, and said that the United States was “hated in the world” and that it should stop interfering in other countries’ internal affairs.
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