Iranian president receives mixed reactions upon return to Tehran

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Iranian president receives mixed reactions upon return to Tehran

(Xinhua) 08:44, September 29, 2013

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TEHRAN, Sept. 28 -- Recent talks between Iranian and U. S. officials in New York received mixed reactions from different groups of Iranians upon President Hassan Rouhani's return to the capital Tehran.

In Tehran, mobile phones received messages on the early Saturday morning, which invited Rouhani's fans "to attend the airport to receive him in gratitude for his support of the Iranians' rights" in the UN General Assembly.

Hundreds of his fans gathered at the Tehran International Mehrabad airport, chanting slogans of "Rouhani, we love you", " Long live reforms," and "Thank you Rouhani" in reference to the president's remarks and position in his recent New York visit.

On the rival side, however, angry mobs denounced the president' s new policy of building warm relations with the West, particularly with the United States, chanting anti-U.S. and anti- Israel slogans. They carried banners saying that the United States is not reliable to negotiate with.

Among the opposing crowd, a shoe was hurled at Rouhani as he was waving at the gathering through the sunroof of his car. The shoe, however, did not hit anybody as his motorcade moved out of the airport. The protestors tried to block his car from moving out but the police pushed them aside.

Speaking in a televised statement at the White House on Friday, Obama confirmed his direct phone chat with Iranian President Rouhani regarding nuclear program, the first talk between the two countries' presidents for more than 30 years.

On Saturday, Ali Khorram, former Iranian diplomat to the United Nations, said extremist groups seek to create tensions in the relations between Iran and the United States, official IRNA news agency reported.

Khorram, who was former Iranian representative to the United Nations in Vienna, told IRNA that there are many individuals or groups who are against improved relations between Iran and the United States, because rapprochement will usher in a trend which will not serve their interests.

Khorram said President Ruohani has opened a new chapter in Iran 's foreign diplomacy and has proved that Iran is determined to change its approach toward the West.

Commenting particularly on the relations between Iran and the United States, he said that any contact between the two sides proved impossible in the past, but the recent telephone contact between Iran and the U.S. presidents indicated that there will be no major obstacle in the way of direct talks between Tehran and Washington.

The two governments should take proper and timely actions to establish relations away from tension, he maintained.

Upon his arrival at the Tehran Mehrabad airport, the Iranian president also said that in his short telephone conversation with Obama, they mainly focused on the nuclear issue.

In the conversation, he referred to the nuclear program as the rights of the Iranian nation as well as an issue pinned to the national pride, said Rouhani.

The important achievement of his visit to New York was to prepare the ground for resolving the existing issues between Iran and some Western countries, particularly with the United States, he added.

Rouhani stressed that the new policy of Iran is in line with the recent guidelines of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has stressed "heroic flexibility" in foreign policy.

Asked to comment on the reasons for not having a meeting with President Obama, he said "the only reason was the lack of time," according to IRNA.

In New York, he received information that U.S. officials were keen on arranging a meeting between Obama and him, said Rouhani, adding that, however, there was no enough time for the Iranian delegation to get prepared for the meeting.

Given a number of issues existed between Iran and the United States in the past decades, many things had to be arranged for the two presidents to have a meeting, Rouhani was quoted as saying.