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Dubai: Washington's top diplomat confirmed on Friday that the United States had shifted its position on diplomacy with Iran, as Tehran said it was prepared for a dialogue on establishing a US interests section in Iran and beginning direct flights between the two countries.
"The US doesn't have any permanent enemies," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in response to a question on the unexpected move to send a senior envoy to Geneva to participate in crucial nuclear talks with Iran's negotiator on Saturday.
"And we hope this signal we're sending, that we fully support the track that Iran could take for a better relationship with the international community, is one the US stands fully behind."
"This decision to send Undersecretary [William] Burns is an affirmation of the policy that we have been pursuing with our European allies ... for some time now," Rice said, adding: "We will see what happens on Saturday."
In remarks made before he left Tehran, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili welcomed the participation of Burns in today's talks.
"If they enter [negotiations] with a constructive approach and by avoiding previous mistakes, we can definitely have good and constructive negotiations," Iranian media quoted Jalili as saying.
In Turkey, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said during a visit on Friday that talks on a thaw in US-Iran ties were possible.
"In my opinion, talks and a deal on an American bureau in Iran and direct flights between Iran and the United States is possible," Mottaki said after holding talks with Ali Babacan, his Turkish counterpart, in Ankara.
"There are many people from the US - students, academics, businessmen, artists - who want to visit Iran. We support such a development between the two people," Mottaki said.
The New York Times quoted a senior European official as saying that the Bush administration was committed to opening the diplomatic mission.
"They want to do it, but for domestic political reasons they don't know how and when, and maybe even if, they can do it," the official said.
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