Iran proposes first US step toward change

 
Source: Press TV, 13-02-2009

Iran says the White House can take the first step toward the realization of its "change policy" by freeing abducted Iranian diplomats.
"The Americans have spoken about change and we hope that in line with this there will be a quick release of our diplomats," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who is touring Iraq, said on Thursday.

Mottaki made the remarks during a visit to the Iranian consulate in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, 350 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad.
US forces broke into Iranian consulate in Arbil on January 11, 2007 and kidnapped five Iranian diplomats. Two of them were later released but three others are still being held without trial and in violation of the Geneva Convention.

Washington claims that the Arbil incident was part of a "routine security operation" in the area. Iran has repeatedly called for the immediate release of the diplomats.
The Iranian foreign minister also held talks with Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani and discussed relations between Tehran and the Kurdish region.

Barzani said there is a great deal of cooperation between Iran and Iraq's Kurdish region, adding that talks between the two can lead to even warmer relations.
Mottaki, who arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, has held meetings with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other senior officials.