US vice-president Dick Cheney said he was "deeply disappointed" by Iran, which he said appears determined to undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and develop weapons of mass destruction.
"I must say, with my return to government and the problems that I face on a daily basis, I've been deeply disappointed in the conduct of the government of Iran in recent months," Cheney told the Council for International Relations in Washington.
He emphasized that when in the private sector, he passionately defended reestablishing ties between the United States and Iran. However, the problem looms larger in his public sector job. "So it's a problem. Iran remains a major focus of concern for us," said Cheney. "By the same token, the (Iranian) government appears to be committed, for example, to try and destroy the peace process as it relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he said.
Khatami
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mohammed Khatami is scheduled to start a visit to Austria on March 11 for talks with president Thomas Klestil, an Austrian newspaper reported on Thursday.
Die Presse said Khatami had received an invitation from Klestil to visit the country during a visit to Tehran in 1999.
The Austrian chancellor, Wolfgang Schussel, has recently paid a visit to Tehran after a visit to Washington, as the press speculated that he might have played a mediation role between Tehran and Washington. The chancellor, officially, discussed the issue of combating terrorism, the Mideast and dialogue between the west and the Islamic world. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
