Ahmadinejad writes to US outlining global vision

The Telegraph
May. 08, 2006

Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to George W Bush, the US president, outlining plans to resolve "the current vulnerable situation in the world", an Iranian official has said.

It is thought to be the first letter from an Iranian president to an American leader since the Iranian revolution in 1979, and an official said it would be delivered later today to the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.

"In this letter, he has given an analysis of the current world situation, of the root of existing problems and of new ways of getting out of the current vulnerable situation in the world," Gholamhossein Elham, a government spokesman, said.

A foreign ministry spokesman said the contents of the letter would not be made public until Mr Bush had read it.

Earlier, Mr Ahmadinejad said he had some "important news" to announce. It was not clear whether he was referring to the letter.

The US has led an international campaign against Iran's nuclear programme.

The Islamic republic claims it needs nuclear fuel only for power stations, but America believes that it is trying to assemble a nuclear arsenal.

America and Iran severed official diplomatic ties in 1980, amid a crisis that began when a group of radical students stormed the American embassy in Teheran and held 52 Americans hostage.

Iran has been reported to the UN security council over its nuclear activities.