Claudia Rosett's Oil-for-Food Congressional Testimony

1/24/04

Senior US senator Joseph Biden meets Iranian FM Kamal Kharrazi in Davos

Senior US Senator Joseph Biden criticized the American government's policies on Iran during a meeting with Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, IRNA reported.

According to the ministry's press bureau, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from Delaware, "stressed the importance of Iran and the role which it can play in the sensitive and volatile region" in the Middle East.

"Joseph Biden told the Iranian foreign minister that he hoped the existing problems between the Islamic Republic of Iran and America would be removed someday," it added.

Kharrazi had a 90-minute meeting with Biden in a rare high-level contact between Tehran and Washington, which have held no official relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, in full view of reporters in a lounge at the World Economic Forum.

"Kharrazi, in turn, said 'the Iranian nation has suffered gravely from the antagonistic steps of the American government and so long as these wrong policies continue, there will be no ground for dialogue and improving the two countries' relations'," the ministry said.

"The Iranian foreign minister stressed that ... American statesmen are required first to change their existing approach and prove their good will in order to pave the way for dialogue and diplomatic relations according to mutual respect," it added.

The Bush administration, which has tagged Iran part of an 'axis of evil', offered humanitarian aid to the victims of the December 26 Bam quake and dispatched an 80-member relief team and supplies like tents and blankets after receiving Iran's green light.

Bush also ordered a unilateral American sanctions against Iran to be temporarily waived in order to send any form of aid, including cash mostly by the large Iranian diaspora in the United States, to the victims.

US' dramatic U-turn led to the speculation that Tehran and Washington might choose this time to bring their frozen ties out of fridge and start a dialogue.

Iran, however, rejected an American proposal to send a delegation headed by top Senator Elizabeth Dole to Tehran to deliver American relief, saying "the time is not right yet for such a visit".

The United States had offered to send a humanitarian mission led by Senator Elizabeth Dole, including a family member of President George W. Bush, to the quake-stricken city of Bam in southeast Iran.

Washington cut ties with Tehran in 1980 in the wake of a hostage crisis after Iranian students stormed the US embassy in Tehran and arrested its staff.

Since then, the United States has taken an antagonistic stance against Iran, assisting the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein during the imposed Iraqi war between 1980 and 1988.

Tuesday :: May 27, 2003

Biden Lays Down a Marker To Bush on Iran

The Bush Administration’s drumbeat for regime change against Iran continues this morning with word that Bush has rejected the denials over the weekend by the Iranian leadership that they were harboring Al Qaeda leaders. Interesting enough however is that a leading Democrat, who previously was a lapdog for Bush on the ramp-up to the Iraqi invasion, is already cautioning Bush against taking a similar course on Iran.

The Bush administration on Tuesday rejected Iranian denials that it was developing nuclear weapons or harboring al-Qaida fugitives. But a top Senate Democrat cautioned the White House to tone down its rhetoric.

"I don't think we should be biting off more than we can chew right now," said Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden, appearing on NBC's "Today" show, said the White House should take a go-slow approach on Iran and first finish its military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We've got a long way to go there," Biden said of Iraq.

Still, "We know they (Iranian leaders) are developing a nuclear weapons program," Biden added. "They've been doing that for the last 10 years, although the International Atomic Energy Agency is in there." Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told the government's Tehran television Sunday that his country does not — and would not — shelter al-Qaida terrorists and has jailed some members of Osama bin Laden's network.

One of the questions before the administration is whether — and how fiercely — to confront the theocratic government in Tehran. And Biden said a stance of caution should prevail there. "I think we should be working with and supporting the civilian leadership in there that's been taking on the clerical leadership," he said. "But in terms of going in there with force now and going in there to take down 'that regime' or form any revolution, we should be a little bit careful here at this point."

Several lawmakers have said they think the United States needs a friendlier government in Iran but must be careful about undermining the religious hard-liners now in power to avoid alienating Iranians friendly to America.

Row deepens over Senator Biden's support of the Clerical regime

The row is deepening over Senator Joseph Biden controversial support of the Islamic republic regime.

The well know senator who's, as well, the Chairman of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, is accused to have collected money in order to try to give a respectable image to the Islamic republic regime which is known as one of the most renegade and repressive regimes of the World.

Biden has participated in several meetings, organized by the Islamic republic's lobbyists, during which he has collected substantial amounts of money in order to finance his campaign. One of these meetings was held on February 19th and was organized by "Sadegh Namazi-khah", head of the religious "Iman foundation" and a notorious Islamic republic's lobbyist living in Los Angeles.

This was the first time that such High Rank US official had the audacity to walk, openly, in such institution in order to collect money from controversial sources when the boys and girls of those who he's representing have died, directly and un-directly, by the hands of his direct and un-direct contributors.

Thousands of emails and faxes have been sent, since beginning February, to Biden's offices condemning his actions and statements in reference to the Clerical leadership ruling in Iran.

In addition to thousands of Iranians, living in the US, common American citizens and US Politicians are getting involved, as well, in this affair by issuing statements or letters condemning Biden's activities.

As an example, Biden was slammed, today, by the Delaware Republican Chairman Everett Moore who stated:

"I can't believe that Senator Biden would have a fund-raiser at the home of a Pro-Tehran lobbyist two weeks after the White House made it abundantly clear that Iran was aiding the Al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan. Frankly, I am appalled that Senator Biden would have the audacity as the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman to take money from a lobbyist supporting a country that brutalizes women, ignores human rights, and endorses terrorism...

...Senator Biden should return the campaign money and apologize to the American people for taking it in the first place, especially apologize to the many Iranian Americans living in this country who reject the Tehran regime....

...Before Senator Biden goes endorsing the Iran government and taking money from their supporters here, he should tell them to hand over the Terrorists who have killed countless Americans and stop aiding al Qaeda forces. No wonder Senator Biden strongly opposed the President's remark that Iran was part of the 'Axis of Evil'" said Moore.

The Delaware Republican Chairman added: "Clearly, the pro-Iran lobbyist was attempting to buy Senator Biden's influence as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee by contributing to his re-election campaign. With Biden's relentless support of Iran, it can be viewed as money well spent through the eyes of the Pro-Iran lobbyist..."

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:jlmT0Yb09kkJ:66.34.243.131/iran/html/article214.html+joseph+biden,+iran&hl=en

Let's not forget their OTHER little CHILD SEX SCANDAL

http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/inequal/0729un.htm

British Firm Accused in UN ‘Sex Scandal’: International Police in Bosnia Face Prostitution Claims.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/7/193725.shtml

UN Slammed for Refugee Sex Scandal

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=06052002-120010-8977r United Press International, Refugee sex scandal triggers UN reforms

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/04/25/wbos25.xml

Teenagers 'used for sex by UN in Bosnia'

http://www.hivnet.ch:8000/topics/sex-work/viewR?325

UN Peacekeepers Allegedly Involved In Child Prostitution

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