Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said on Sunday that Tehran sees no obstacle in the way of a visit to Iran by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Talking to reporters during his weekly press briefing, Hosseini reiterated that such visits and diplomatic consultations would help officials of other countries forge better understanding toward the realities inside Iran and the regional issues.
Kouchner voiced readiness to visit Iran and hold talks with senior Iranian officials days after he declared that the dispute over Iran's nuclear works could lead to a global war.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that the American people are eager to hear different opinions about the world, and he is looking forward to having the chance to express them during his trip to the U.S., state media reported. The Iranian leader left Sunday for New York to address the U.N. General Assembly and speak to students and teachers during a forum at Columbia University.
Ahmadinejad said the American people have been denied "correct information," and his visit will give them a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported. "The United States is a big and important country with a population of 300 million. Due to certain issues, the American people in the past years have been denied correct and clear information about global developments and are eager to hear different opinions," Ahmadinejad was quoted by IRNA as saying.
State-run television also quoted Ahmadinejad before boarding his presidential plane Sunday as saying that the General Assembly was an "important podium" to express Iran's views on regional and global issues.
