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Iranian MP: Iran, US should establish public diplomacy

Iran Materials 17 October 2013 12:02 (UTC +04:00)
Iran and the United States should establish public and non-official diplomacy, first deputy Speaker of Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Reza Bahonar said.
Iranian MP: Iran, US should establish public diplomacy

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 17 / Trend, N. Umid, S. Isayev

Iran and the United States should establish public and non-official diplomacy, first deputy Speaker of Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Reza Bahonar said, Iranian Bahar newspaper reported.

He went on to note that, official diplomacy has limitations while public diplomacy does not have.

Bahonar also criticized Iran's former administrations due to neglecting this kind of diplomacy, adding that public diplomacy can start with a football match as well as parliamentary groups` consultations or lobbying.

He also underlined that establishing Iran-US parliamentary friendship group is not Iran's "red line."

Time is limited for both Iran and US administrations, Bahonar said, adding that Iran has take first steps and now awaits for the US' response.

Commenting on the process of repairing relations between two countries he said that,"if the process fails, the situation will be worse than it was in the past."

Iran is waiting for some signals from the US which show that they have accepted the win-win game, he added.

Early in October, Iranian media outlets quoted Rouhani as saying "The influence of the talks between Iran and the US has been so positive that a committee for friendship with Iran is going to be launched in the US Congress".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a meeting with Iranian MPs, that US congressmen are willing to develop parliamentary diplomacy with Iran.

Some Iranian MPs also welcomed establishing a parliamentary friendship group between the United States and Iran.

Some forces in Iran were negative towards Hassan Rouhani's approach to talks with the U.S. president and its stance on country's nuclear program.

For example, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari called Rouhani`s phone conversation with his US counterpart, a tactical mistake.

On October 5, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said that, Iran doesn't trust the United States, which doesn't keep its promises, "yet we have faith in our own diplomats".

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