White House “Knows Nothing” About Letter from Iran’s President to Bush

8 May 2006 | 15:24 | FOCUS News Agency



Washington. The White House announced today it “knows nothing” about a letter from Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to US President George W. Bush with which Tehran wants to patch up the tense relations between the two countries, AFP reports.
“We have no information about such letter,” spokesman for Bush's National Security Council Fred Jones stated.
“We are trying to find out the facts,” State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack stated adding he had found out about the letter from the media.

So, here are those facts, from the Iranian news agency:

President Ahmadinejad sends letter to Bush

Tehran, May 8, IRNA
Iran-US-Ahmadinejad
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written a letter to the US President George W. Bush, government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said here Monday.

Elham made the remark while speaking to domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press conference.

Earlier, Ahmadinejad had told reporters he had decided to send letters to leaders of certain countries on the occasion of Year of Great Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).


Letter to Bush, Ahmadinejad's important news: Elham

Tehran, May 8, IRNA

Ahmadinejad-Elham-Letter
Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said here Monday that a letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to US President George W Bush was the "important" news the president said he would give to the nation.

During his visit to the 13th Press Exhibition at Tehran's permanent fairgrounds on Monday morning, President Ahmadinejad told reporters he would announce an "important" news item today.

"I think the important news was the president's decision to write letters to leaders of certain countries, the first one being to the US president," he said in response to a reporter who asked whether the news would include Iran's possible pulling out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in case a resolution against it was passed by the Security Council.

President Ahmadinejad had, earlier today, sent a letter to US President George W Bush suggesting new ways to defuse current international tensions.

"Ahmadinejad, in his letter, spoke of the current tense situation in the world and suggested ways of solving problems and of easing tensions," Elham said.

He added, "Ahmadinejad has announced that Iran regards the right of revision and review in its ties with international organizations under whatever circumstances.

"However, no resolution has been adopted against Iran's nuclear activities yet."
"Earlier, Ahmadinejad had told reporters that he would write letters to leaders of various countries in observance of Year of the Great Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)," the spokesman said.

He said that the president's letter to Bush would be sent via the Swiss embassy here.

Later...

Iran-US-Ahmadinejad
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here on Monday handed over a letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to his American counterpart President W. Bush to Swiss embassy in Tehran.