U.S.: Iran no longer a "rogue" state
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The Washington Post reported Wednesday that
as far as the State Department is concerned, Iran is no longer a rogue
state.
"We have changed the tone of our language. We no longer call Iran
a rogue state, and we no longer say things such as ' Iranian behavior.'
Such is the language of tutelage, not statesmanship," according to
John Limbert, a State Department official who offered an insider's view
on how Washington was trying to disentangle the knots of mistrust with
Tehran.
Limbert is in State's Bureau of African Affairs. Senior State Department
officials at the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which deals with Iran
, said yesterday that Limbert's comments, delivered at a conference at
Georgetown University commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Iranian
revolution were "definitely cleared" and "reflected U.S.
policy."
"Amid the conflicts and confusing signals, there are signs of change,
of a break in this 20-year cycle of mistrust," Limbert told the conference
of academics and Middle East specialists, which was sponsored by the Middle
East Institute and the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
Limbert also said that the United States was modifying the laborious
visa application process for Iranians that "contradicted our oft-repeated
statement that we have no quarrel with the Iranian people."
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