[Vision2020] Iranian President's Letter to Bush

[Art Deco]

Even if the letter from the elected president of Iran was complete idiocy 
(which it wasn't), one cannot imagine stupider diplomacy that to ignore a 
request for communication and discussion especially since it has been so 
long in coming.  No progress on defining and resolving the issues that 
divide Iran (and _______, _______, etc) from the USA is possible without 
frank discussion.


Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill London" <london at moscow.com>
To: <nickgier at adelphia.net>; <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 10:42 AM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Iranian President's Letter to Bush


> why is the US administration deliberately provoking Iran?
> the legally-elected Iranian president writes a long letter to the US
> president (first direct communication in 27 years) and US dismisses the
> letter and destroys the opportunity for interaction.
> are the US neo-cons still committed to more regime changes in the 
> Mid-east?
> how many wars can the US fight at one time?
> BL
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <nickgier at adelphia.net>
> To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:00 AM
> Subject: [Vision2020] Iranian President's Letter to Bush
>
>
>> SPIEGEL ONLINE - May 10, 2006, 03:09 PM
>> URL: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,415499,00.html
>>
>> The Iran Crisis
>>
>> President Ahmadinejad's Letter to George W. Bush
>>
>> Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to US 
>> President
> George W. Bush, hoping to re-open a dialogue that broke off 27 years 
> ago -- 
> and ease tensions over Iran's nuclear program. Below is a shortened 
> version
> of the letter.
>>
>> The translation of President Ahmadinejad's letter was kindly provided by
> Le Monde.
>>
>> Mr George Bush, President of the United States of America:
>>
>> For some time now I have been thinking, how one can justify the 
>> undeniable
> contradictions that exist in the international arena -- which are being
> constantly debated, especially in political forums and amongst university
> students. Many questions remain unanswered. These have prompted me to
> discuss some of the contradictions and questions, in the hopes that it 
> might
> bring about an opportunity to redress them.
>>
>> Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the great Messenger of God,
> f eel obliged to respect human rights, present liberalism as a 
> civilization
> model, announce one's opposition to the proliferation of nuclear weapons 
> and
> WMDs, make War and Terror his slogan, and finally, work towards the
> establishment of a unified international community - a community which
> Christ and the virtuous of the Earth will one day govern, but at the same
> time, have countries attacked; the lives, reputations and possessions of
> people destroyed... Or because of the possibility of the existence of WMDs
> in one country, it is occupied, around one hundred thousand people killed,
> its water sources, agriculture and industry destroyed, close to 180,000
> foreign troops put on the ground, sanctity of private homes of citizens
> broken, and the country pushed back perhaps fifty years. At what price?
> Hundreds of billions of dollars spent from the treasury of one country and
> certain other countries and tens of!
>>   thousands of young men and women - as occupation troops - put in harm's
> way, taken away from family and love ones, their hands stained with the
> blood of others, subjected to so much psychological pressure that everyday
> some commit suicide and those returning home suffer depression, become
> sickly and grapple with all sorts of ailments; while some are killed and
> their bodies handed to their families.
>>
>> On the pretext of the existence of WMDs, this great tragedy came to 
>> engulf
> both the peoples of the occupied and the occupying country. Later it was
> revealed that no WMDs existed to begin with.
>>
>> Of course Saddam was a murderous dictator. But the war was not waged to
> topple him, the announced goal of the war was to find and destroy weapons 
> of
> mass destruction. He was toppled along the way towards another goal,
> nevertheless the people of the region are happy about it. I point out that
> throughout the many years of the ... war on Iran Saddam was supported by 
> the
> West.
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> You might know that I am a teacher. My students ask me how can theses
> actions be reconciled with the values outlined at the beginning of this
> letter and duty to the tradition of Jesus Christ (PBUH), the Messenger of
> peace and forgiveness.
>>
>> There are prisoners in Guantanamo Bay that have not been tried, have no
> legal representation, their families cannot see them and are obviously 
> kept
> in a strange land outside their own country. There is no international
> monitoring of their conditions and fate. No one knows whether they are
> prisoners, POWs, accused or criminals.
>>
>> European investigators have confirmed the existence of secret prisons in
> Europe too. I could not correlate the abduction of a person, and him or 
> her
> being kept in secret prisons, with the provisions of any judicial system.
> For that matter, I fail to understand how such actions correspond to the
> values outlined in the beginning of this letter, i.e. the teachings of 
> Jesus
> Christ (PBUH), human rights and liberal values.
>>
>> Young people, university students and ordinary people have many questions
> about the phenomenon of Israel. I am sure you are familiar with some of
> them. Throughout history many countries have been occupied, but I think 
> the
> establishment of a new country with a new people, is a new phenomenon that
> is exclusive to our times.
>>
>> Students are saying that sixty years ago such a country did not exist. 
>> The
> showy old documents and globes and say try as we have, we have not been 
> able
> to find a country named Israel.
>>
>> I tell them to study the history of WWI and II. One of my students told 
>> me
> that during WWII, which more than tens of millions of people perished in,
> news about the war, was quickly disseminated by the warring parties. Each
> touted their victories and the most recent battlefront defeat of the other
> party. After the war, they claimed that six million Jews had been killed.
> Six million people that were surely related to at least two million
> families.
>>
>> Again let us assume that these events are true. Does that logically
> translate into the establishment of the state of Israel in the Middle East
> or support for such a state? How can this phenomenon be rationalised or
> explained? Mr President, I am sure you know how - and at what cost - 
> Israel
> was established : Many thousands were killed in the process.
>>
>> Millions of indigenous people were made refugees.
>>
>> Hundred of thousands of hectares of farmland, olive plantations, towns 
>> and
> villages were destroyed. This tragedy is not exclusive to the time of
> establishment; unfortunately it has been ongoing for sixty years now.
>>
>> A regime has been established which does not show mercy even to kids,
> destroys houses while the occupants are still in them, announces 
> beforehand
> its list and plans to assassinate Palestinian figures and keeps thousands 
> of
> Palestinians in prison. Such a phenomenon is unique - or at the very least
> extremely rare - in recent memory.
>>
>> Another big question asked by people is why is this regime being
> supported? Is support for this regime in line with the teachings of Jesus
> Christ (PBUH) or Moses (PBUH) or liberal values? Or are we to understand
> that allowing the original inhabitants of these lands - inside and outside
> Palestine - whether they are Christian, Muslim or Jew, to determine their
> fate, runs contrary to principles of democracy, human rights and the
> teachings of prophets? If not, why is there so much opposition to a
> referendum? The newly elected Palestinian administration recently took
> office. All independent observes have confirmed that this government
> represents the electorate. Unbelievingly, they have put the elected
> government under pressure and have advised it to recognise the Israeli
> regime, abandon the struggle and follow the programs of the previous
> government. If the current Palestinian government had run on the above
> platform, would the Palestinian people have voted for it? Again, can suc!
>>  h position taken in opposition to the Palestinian government be
> reconciled with the values outlined earlier? The people are also saying 
> why
> are all UNSC resolutions in condemnation of Israel vetoed?
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> As you are well aware, I live amongst the people and am in constant
> contact with them --many people from around the Middle East manage to
> contact me as well. They do not have faith in these dubious policies 
> either.
> There is evidence that the people of the region are becoming increasingly
> angry with such policies. It is not my intention to pose to many 
> questions,
> but I need to refer to other points as well.
>>
>> Why is it that any technological and scientific achievement reached in 
>> the
> Middle East regions is translated into and portrayed as a threat to the
> Zionist regime? Is not scientific R&D one of the basic rights of nations.
>>
>> You are familiar with history. Aside from the Middle Ages, in what other
> point in history has scientific and technical progress been a crime? Can 
> the
> possibility of scientific achievements being utilised for military 
> purposes
> be reason enough to oppose science and technology altogether? If such a
> supposition is true, then all scientific disciplines, including physics,
> chemistry, mathematics, medicine, engineering, etc. must be opposed.
>>
>> Lies were told in the Iraqi matter. What was the result? I have no doubt
> that telling lies is reprehensible in any culture, and you do not like to 
> be
> lied to.
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> Don't Latin Americans have the right to ask, why their elected 
>> governments
> are being opposed and coup leaders supported? Or, why must they constantly
> be threatened and live in fear? The people of Africa are hard working,
> creative and talented. They can play an important and valuable role in
> providing for the needs of humanity and contribute to its material and
> spiritual progress. Poverty and hardship in large parts of Africa are
> preventing this from happening. Don't they have the right to ask why their
> enormous wealth - including minerals - is being looted, despite the fact
> that they need it more than others? Again, do such actions correspond to 
> the
> teachings of Christ and the tenets of human rights? The brave and faithful
> people of Iran too have many questions and grievances, including : the 
> coup
> d'etat of 1953 and the subsequent toppling of the legal government of the
> day, opposition to the Islamic revolution, transformation of an Embassy 
> into
> a headquarters supporting the!
>>   activities of those opposing the Islamic Republic (many thousands of
> pages of documents corroborate this claim), support for Saddam in the war
> waged against Iran, the shooting down of the Iranian passenger plane,
> freezing the assets of the Iranian nation, increasing threats, anger and
> displeasure vis-à-vis the scientific and nuclear progress of the Iranian
> nation (just when all Iranians are jubilant and collaborating in their
> country's progress), and many other grievances that I will not refer to in
> this letter.
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> Sept. 11 was a horrendous incident. The killing of innocents is 
>> deplorable
> and appalling in any part of the world. Our government immediately 
> declared
> its disgust with the perpetrators and offered its condolences to the
> bereaved and expressed its sympathies.
>>
>> All governments have a duty to protect the lives, property and good
> standing of their citizens. Reportedly your government employs extensive
> security, protection and intelligence systems - and even hunts its 
> opponents
> abroad. September eleven was not a simple operation. Could it be planned 
> and
> executed without coordination with intelligence and security services - or
> their extensive infiltration? Of course this is just an educated guess. 
> Why
> have the various aspects of the attacks been kept secret? Why are we not
> told who botched their responsibilities? And, why aren't those responsible
> and the guilty parties identified and put on trial? All governments have a
> duty to provide security and peace of mind for their citizens. For some
> years now, the people of your country and neighbours of world trouble 
> spots
> do not have peace of mind. After 9.11, instead of healing and tending to 
> the
> emotional wounds of the survivors and the American people - who had been
> immensely traumatised !
>>  by the attacks - some Western media only intensified the climates of 
>> fear
> and insecurity - some constantly talked about the possibility of new 
> terror
> attacks and kept the people in fear. Is that a service to the American
> people? Is it possible to calculate the damage incurred from fear and 
> panic?
> American citizens lived in constant fear of fresh attacks that could come 
> at
> any moment and in any place. They felt insecure in the streets, in their
> place of work and at home. Who would be happy with this situation? Why was
> the media, instead of conveying a feeling of security and providing peace 
> of
> mind, giving rise to a feeling of insecurity? Some believe that the hype
> paved the way - and was the justification - for an attack on Afghanistan.
> Again I need to refer to the role of media. In media charters, correct
> dissemination of information and honest reporting of a story are 
> established
> tenets. I express my deep regret about the disregard shown by certain
> Western media for these!
>>   principles. The main pretext for an attack on Iraq was the existence
>> of WMDs. This was repeated incessantly - for the public to finally
> believe - and the ground set for an attack on Iraq. Will the truth not be
> lost in a contrive and deceptive climate? Again, if the truth is allowed 
> to
> be lost, how can that be reconciled with the earlier mentioned values? Is
> the truth known to the Almighty lost as well? Mr President, In countries
> around the world, citizens provide for the expenses of governments so that
> their governments in turn are able to serve them. The question here is 
> what
> have the hundreds of billions of dollars spent every year to pay for the
> Iraqi campaign produced for the citizens? As your Excellency is aware, in
> some states of your country, people are living in poverty. Many thousands
> are homeless and unemployment is a huge problem. Of course these problems
> exist - to a larger or lesser extent - in other countries as well. With
> these conditions in mind, can the gargantuan expenses of the campaign - 
> paid
> from the public treasury - be !
>>  explained and be consistent with the aforementioned principles? What has
> been said, are some of the grievances of the people around the world, in 
> our
> region and in your country. But my main contention - which I am hoping you
> will agree to some of it - is : Those in power have specific time in 
> office,
> and do not rule indefinitely, but their names will be recorded in history
> and will be constantly judged in the immediate and distant futures. The
> people will scrutinize our presidencies.
>>
>> Did we manage to bring peace, security and prosperity for the people or
> insecurity and unemployment? Did we intend to establish justice, or just
> supported especial interest groups, and by forcing many people to live in
> poverty and hardship, made a few people rich and powerful - thus trading 
> the
> approval of the people and the Almighty with theirs'? Did we defend the
> rights of the underprivileged or ignore them? Did we defend the rights of
> all people around the world or imposed wars on them, interfered illegally 
> in
> their affairs, established hellish prisons and incarcerated some of them?
> Did we bring the world peace and security or raise the specter of
> intimidation and threats? Did we tell the truth to our nation and others
> around the world or presented an inverted version of it? Were we on the 
> side
> of people or the occupiers and oppressors? Did our administration set out 
> to
> promote rational behaviour, logic, ethics, peace, fulfilling obligations,
> justice, service to the peopl!
>>  e, prosperity, progress and respect for human dignity or the force of
> guns. Intimidation, insecurity, disregard for the people, delaying the
> progress and excellence of other nations, and trample on people's rights?
> And finally, they will judge us on whether we remained true to our oath of
> office - to serve the people, which is our main task, and the traditions 
> of
> the prophets - or not?
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> How much longer can the world tolerate this situation? Where will this
> trend lead the world to? How long must the people of the world pay for the
> incorrect decisions of some rulers? How much longer will the specter of
> insecurity - raised from the stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction -
> hunt the people of the world? How much longer will the blood of the 
> innocent
> men, women and children be spilled on the streets, and people's houses
> destroyed over their heads? Are you pleased with the current condition of
> the world? Do you think present policies can continue? If billions of
> dollars spent on security, military campaigns and troop movements were
> instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries, promotion 
> of
> health, combating different diseases, education and improvement of mental
> and physical fitness, assistance to the victims of natural disasters,
> creation of employment opportunities and production, development projects
> and poverty alleviation, establishment of!
>>   peace, mediation between disputing states and distinguishing the flames
> of racial, ethnic and other conflicts where would the world be today? 
> Would
> not your government, and people be justifiably proud? Would not your
> administration's political and economic standing have been stronger? And I
> am most sorry to say, would there have been an ever increasing global 
> hatred
> of the American governments? Mr President, it is not my intention to
> distress anyone. If prophet Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph or 
> Jesus
> Christ (PBUH) were with us today, how would they have judged such 
> behaviour?
> Will we be given a role to play in the promised world, where justice will
> become universal and Jesus Christ (PBUH) will be present? Will they even
> accept us? My basic question is this : Is there no better way to interact
> with the rest of the world? Today there are hundreds of millions of
> Christians, hundreds of millions of Moslems and millions of people who
> follow the teachings of Moses (PBUH)!
>>  . All divine religions share and respect on word and that is monotheis
>> m or belief in a single God and no other in the world.
>>
>> The holy Koran stresses this common word and calls on an followers of
> divine religions and says : [3.64] Say : O followers of the Book! Come to 
> an
> equitable proposition between us and you that we shall not serve any but
> Allah and (that) we shall not associate aught. With Him and (that) some of
> us shall not take others for lords besides Allah, but if they turn back,
> then say : Bear witness that we are Muslims. (The Family of Imran).
>>
>> Mr President,
>>
>> According to divine verses, we have all been called upon to worship one
> God and follow the teachings of divine prophets. To worship a God which is
> above all powers in the world and can do all He pleases. The Lord which
> knows that which is hidden and visible, the past and the future, knows 
> what
> goes on in the Hearts of His servants and records their deeds. The Lord 
> who
> is the possessor of the heavens and the earth and all universe is His 
> court
> planning for the universe is done by His hands, and gives His servants the
> glad tidings of mercy and forgiveness of sins. He is the companion of the
> oppressed and the enemy of oppressors. He is the Compassionate, the 
> Merciful
> . He is the recourse of the faithful and guides them towards the light 
> from
> darkness. He is witness to the actions of His servants, He calls on 
> servants
> to be faithful and do good deeds, and asks them to stay on the path of
> righteousness and remain steadfast. Calls on servants to heed His prophets
> and He is a witne!
>>  ss to their deeds. A bad ending belongs only to those who have chosen 
>> the
> life of this world and disobey Him and oppress His servants. And A good 
> and
> eternal paradise belong to those servants who fear His majesty and do not
> follow their lascivious selves. We believe a return to the teachings of 
> the
> divine prophets is the only road leading to salvations. I have been told
> that Your Excellency follows the teachings of Jesus (PBUH), and believes 
> in
> the divine promise of the rule of the righteous on Earth. We also believe
> that Jesus Christ (PBUH) was one of the great prophets of the Almighty. He
> has been repeatedly praised in the Koran. Jesus (PBUH) has been quoted in
> Koran as well; [19,36] And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, 
> therefore
> serves Him; this is the right path, Marium.
>>
>> Service to and obedience of the Almighty is the credo of all divine
> messengers.
>>
>> The God of all people in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, the Pacific and
> the rest of the world is one. He is the Almighty who wants to guide and 
> give
> dignity to all His servants. He has given greatness to Humans. We again 
> read
> in the Holy Book: The Almighty God sent His prophets with miracles and 
> clear
> signs to guide the people and show them divine signs and purity them from
> sins and pollutions. And He sent the Book and the balance so that the 
> people
> display justice and avoid the rebellious. All of the above verses can be
> seen, one way or the other, in the Good Book as well.
>>
>> Divine prophets have promised: The day will come when all humans will
> congregate before the court of the Almighty, so that their deeds are
> examined. The good will be directed towards Haven and evildoers will meet
> divine retribution. I trust both of us believe in such a day, but it will
> not be easy to calculate the actions of rulers, because we must be
> answerable to our nations and all others whose lives have been directly or
> indirectly effected by our actions. All prophets, speak of peace and
> tranquillity for man - based on monotheism, justice and respect for human
> dignity.
>>
>> Do you not think that if all of us come to believe in and abide by these
> principles, that is, monotheism, worship of God, justice, respect for the
> dignity of man, belief in the Last Day, we can overcome the present 
> problems
> of the world - that are the result of disobedience to the Almighty and the
> teachings of prophets - and improve our performance? Do you not think that
> belief in these principles promotes and guarantees peace, friendship and
> justice? Do you not think that the aforementioned written or unwritten
> principles are universally respected? Will you not accept this invitation?
> That is, a genuine return to the teachings of prophets, to monotheism and
> justice, to preserve human dignity and obedience to the Almighty and His
> prophets? Mr President, History tells us that repressive and cruel
> governments do not survive. God has entrusted The fate of man to them. The
> Almighty has not left the universe and humanity to their own devices. Many
> things have happened contrary to!
>>   the wishes and plans of governments. These tell us that there is a
> higher power at work and all events are determined by Him.
>>
>> Can one deny the signs of change in the world today? Is this situation of
> the world today comparable to that of ten years ago? Changes happen fast 
> and
> come at a furious pace. The people of the world are not happy with the
> status quo and pay little heed to the promises and comments made by a 
> number
> of influential world leaders. Many people around the wolrd feel insecure 
> and
> oppose the spreading of insecurity and war and do not approve of and 
> accept
> dubious policies. The people are protesting the increasing gap between the
> haves and the have-nots and the rich and poor countries.
>>
>> The people are disgusted with increasing corruption. The people of many
> countries are angry about the attacks on their cultural foundations and 
> the
> disintegration of families. They are equally dismayed with the fading of
> care and compassion. The people of the world have no faith in 
> international
> organisations, because their rights are not advocated by these
> organisations. Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able 
> to
> help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed.
> Those with insight can already hear the sounds of the shattering and fall 
> of
> the ideology and thoughts of the liberal democratic systems. We 
> increasingly
> see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point -
> that is the Almighty God. Undoubtedly through faith in God and the 
> teachings
> of the prophets, the people will conquer their problems. My question for 
> you
> is : Do you not want to join them? Mr President, Whether we like it or 
> not,
> the world is gravit!
>>  ating towards faith in the Almighty and justice and the will of God will
> prevail over all things.
>>
>> Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda,
>>
>> Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
>>
>> President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
>>
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