Khatami: Those who have learned tolerance from us, are trying to teach it to us!!

An ill will involved to deepen conflicts in Mideast: Khatami

(Mehr News Agency) -- There is a "will" that is seeking to deepen conflicts in the Middle East region, former president Mohammad Khatami said in Tehran on Wednesday.

"Ethnical and sectarian violence is strangely fomented, thus scaring us more than ever," Khatami told a group of Afghan journalists.

"Our region is in crisis," said Khatami who chairs the International Institute for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations.

"In the Islamic and also Persian culture we have been the most tolerant, but now those who have learned tolerance from us, are trying to teach it to us.

"Why is the situation in our region becoming more critical everyday whereas the world is moving toward unity?"

The major powers seek to plunder the region's oil and gain dominance under the name of "development and democracy", he warned.

"Afghanistan used to be the epicenter of humanity and compassion but why is it the center of drugs now? What happened to the great aids that the major powers had promised to Afghanistan?

"We should all try to establish democracy in Afghanistan, strengthen its government, and help promote unity and development in the country," Khatami said.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami calls on U.S. to act wisely

Negotiation needs goodwill, not preconditions: Khatami

(Mehr News Agency) -- On Sunday, former president Mohammad Khatami made a criticism of the United States who has set a precondition for a possible dialogue between Tehran and Washington.

"Negotiation requires goodwill, not precondition," Khatami told a religious delegation from the United States.

The multi-denominational Christian delegation has come to Iran to meet religious and political figures and the Iranian people in order to build bridges of peace and security between Iran and the U.S.

The United States has announced it will enter dialogue with Iran only if Tehran freezes its nuclear enrichment program.

Khatami also called on the United States to avoid making unwise decisions at international level.

"Like its nation, the U.S. administration should take wise and bold decision for resolving problems," remarked Khatami who currently chairs the International Institute for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilizations.

Khatami voiced hope that Iran's nuclear issue will be resolved through diplomatic channels and that no new crisis will be created in the region.

"Any new crisis will harm the Middle East, Iran, and the U.S." he added.

Washington made a great mistake by occupying Iraq which only led to "the spread of radicalism," he commented.

"The U.S. arrogantly shrugged off all well-intentioned proposals, and today every one can see that although Saddam (Hussein) is not there anymore, there is still terrorism and insecurity in Iraq," he stated.

The U.S. has created many problems and has fueled extremism in the region, he added.

American Religious Delegation to meet Mohammad Khatami in Iran

WASHINGTON, -- A delegation of 13 U.S. religious leaders will be visiting Iran next week (Feb. 17-25) in order to deepen dialogue between religious and political leaders there in the hope of defusing tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

During the weeklong visit the group is scheduled to meet with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, women serving in the Iranian parliament, former president Mohammad Khatami and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The delegation will spend most of their time with religious leaders in Tehran, Qom and Isfahan. They will meet with Iranian Evangelical Protestant leaders, the Archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Iran and Muslim religious leaders in the religious city of Qom.

In addition to Rev. Jeff Carr, Chief Operating Officer of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, the U.S. delegation includes representatives from the Mennonite, Quaker, Episcopal, Catholic and United Methodist churches, as well as the National Council of Churches, and Pax Christi. The trip, organized by the Mennonite Central Committee and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Philadelphia, comes after 45 religious leaders met with Iranian President Ahmadinejad for 75 minutes during his visit to New York, Sept. 20, 2006.

"A growing number of American evangelical Christians, mainline Protestants, and Catholics believe that a diplomatic solution is possible in Iran and the only path to real security for all people living in the Middle East," said Carr. "Americans are realizing that the Iraq War is causing greater instability, and continuing bloodshed, throughout the region. We pray that dialogue with various people in Iran may offer new hope in this tense time between our countries." Rev. Carr will be blogging about the visit at GodsPolitics.com

As the rhetoric of war appears to be intensifying on the part of both governments and the fact that neither government is speaking directly to one another about peace, the group is hoping their visit will make a positive contribution toward ensuring peace between Iran and the United States.

"Our primary goal is to engage in dialogue with a variety of Iranians," said Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) international program director, Ron Flaming. At the same time there is great risk that our goal to encourage improved relations between the people of Iran and the U.S. will be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding President Ahmadinejad," he said.

"We are making this trip hoping it will encourage both governments to step back from a course that will lead to conflict and suffering," said Mary Ellen McNish, general secretary of the AFSC. As we did at the meeting in New York, we intend to continue to engage the president on his statements regarding the Holocaust," she said. "The Holocaust is a historical fact and one of history's greatest human tragedies."

"These statements make it difficult for Americans to believe that a constructive dialogue is possible," she added.

After the visit the group will meet with members of the U.S. Congress informing them of what they heard leaders in Iran saying and ways to move toward lessening current tensions.

When several members of the delegation met with members of Congress in Oct. 2006 after the New York meeting with Ahmadinejad, congressional staff members encouraged them to continue their efforts and visit Iran if possible.

"We are hopeful," Flaming said. "As Christians we are called to talk with those we are in conflict with and move toward forgiveness and reconciliation. We pray this will open doors to diplomacy."

For information about the visit go to http://irandelegation.org.

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Sojourners/Call to Renewal is a Christian ministry whose mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world. Visit http://www.sojo.net, http://www.RedLetterChristians.org, and http://www.GodsPolitics.com.

SOURCE Sojourners/Call to Renewal

Office Of Mohammad Khatami Raided

By Safa Haeri

Tehran, (IPS) The office of former reformist president of Iran Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami has been “raided” overnight by unidentified people who have taken away all the computers, documents, fax machines and other equipments at the “Baran” and the International Centre for Dialogue among Cultures and Civilisations, it was reported on Monday 12 February 2007.

“When employees at Baran (Foundation for Freedom, Development and Progress of Iran and the International Institute for Dialogue Between Cultures and Civilizations entered their offices on Monday morning, they found out that the floor is littered with papers, all computers, fax machines, scanners and other equipments and documents are missing”, a spokesman for Baran reported, adding that “obviously, the doors of the offices were broken”.

Founded by Mr. Khatami, both Baran and the Centre for Dialogue are NGOs promoting understanding and discussions between representatives of different cultures, religions and civilizations.

Iranian independent and reformist media, including the semi independent students news agency or the daily E’temad Melli briefly reported the incident, adding that the Police is “looking in the incident”, no other media in Iran mentioned the burglary.

Although other people close to Mr. Khatami have been subject this kind of “theft”, like Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Ali Abtahi, his outspoken deputy who’s portable telephone was taken away or Abdollah Ramezanzadeh, the official spokesman of his Government, whom the computer had disappeared, but this is the first time that his own office has been “visited” by burglars.

“No doubt that the work is very professional. But professional thieves do not break doors for the fear of possible human presence. And why professional burglars would be interested in probably old computers, fax or scanners machines or documents with no value for them? If you can answer this question then you probably would find out who hired them”, one former security officer told Iran Press Service.