Iran's nuclear negotiator resigns

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Iran's chief negotiator with the West over Tehran's nuclear programme, Ali Larijani, has resigned.

A government spokesman said Mr Larijani had repeatedly offered his resignation and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had finally accepted it.
...
Mr Larijani has favoured further negotiations with the West over Iran's uranium enrichment programme, as opposed to the president's more hard-line approach, our correspondent says.
...
The resignation is a sign, says our correspondent, that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has thrown his weight behind President Ahmadinejad and his hard-line approach on the nuclear issue.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7053963.stm

[Ian David]

1. He wants to spend more time playing blinkmanship with his family. n/t

[Flabbergasted]

2. Iran's nuclear negotiator suddenly quits

Source: IHT

Iran's nuclear negotiator suddenly quits
Reuters, The Associated PressPublished:
October 20, 2007

TEHRAN: Ali Larijani suddenly resigned as Iran's top nuclear negotiator, the government announced Saturday, just three days before a new round of talks is scheduled in Rome.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, will meet Larijani's replacement, Saeed Jalili, said Cristina Gallach, Solana's spokeswoman.

"We have just spoken to the Iranians," she said. "Solana is keeping to his plan to travel to Rome on Tuesday and will meet whatever senior negotiator the Iranians send."

Iran's government spokesman, Gholam Hossein Elham, did not give a specific reason for Larijani's resignation other than to say he wanted to focus on "other political activities."

"Larijani had resigned repeatedly," Elham told reporters. "Finally, the president accepted his resignation."



Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/20/asia/iran.1-156316.php

[independentpiney]

3. This is interesting at the end of the article

Iran is capable of firing 11,000 rockets into enemy bases within the first minute after any possible attack, state-run television quoted a top Revolutionary Guards Corps commander as saying Saturday, according to The Associated Press.

The commander, General Mahmoud Chaharbaghi, said Iran had identified all enemy positions and was prepared to respond in less than a minute to any possible attack.

Chaharbaghi did not specifically identify the bases or the enemy.

[lovuian]

4. Looks like the Negotiator has reached his last

negotiation

[ohio2007]

5. foot dragging ? yes. nt