Iran welcomes Obama overture but wants "honest" concrete action

"We welcome the wish of the president of the United States to put away past differences," Ahmadinejad’s press advisor Aliakbar Javanfekr said in reaction to Obama’s message at Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, in which he urged a resolution of differences and an "honest" engagement with Tehran.

"But the way to do that is not by Iran forgetting the previous hostile and aggressive attitude of the United States," Javanfekr said, responding when AFP read to him extracts of Obama’s statement.

"The American administration has to recognize its past mistakes and repair them as a way to put away the differences," he added.

Javanfekr said Obama has talked of change but had "not taken any concrete steps to repair the mistakes committed against Iran".

"He has to go further than words and take action. If Obama shows willingness to take action, the Iranian government will not show its back to him."

Javanfekr said Iran wanted to end the "animosities" between the two countries that have had no diplomatic relations since 1980, a year after Iran became an Islamic republic following the toppling of the U.S.-backed shah.

Obama issued an unprecedented videotaped appeal to Iran earlier on Friday offering a "new beginning" of diplomatic engagement to turn the page on decades of U.S. policy toward America's longtime foe.

"My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties," Obama was quoted by Reuters as saying in a message released to select Middle East broadcast outlets timed for the Iranian holiday celebration.

Iranian Energy Minister Parviz Fattah also said Obama's message to his country on the occasion of the Iranian New Year was "positive" but had to be followed by "positive action".

Absolutely this message is positive... although it might also have negative points in itself as well," Fattah said on the sidelines of the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul.

The United States is at loggerheads with Iran over its nuclear program, which Washington says is aimed at building atomic weapons, while Tehran insists it is for the peaceful generation of electricity.

MAJOR SHIFT

Reaching out directly to Iranian leaders and their people, Obama said in the video message: "This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

He said the United States wanted Iran to take its "rightful place in the community of nations," but also insisted that Tehran do its part to achieve reconciliation.

"You have that right -- but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization," he added in the message.

"The measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create," he added, alluding to Iran's contested nuclear program and its missile development efforts.

"I would like to speak directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Obama said in a conciliatory tone that contrasted sharply with Bush's hardline approach. "We seek the promise of a new beginning."

To stress the seriousness of Obama's overture, the White House distributed the videotape with Farsi subtitles and posted it on its website to coincide with Iranian observance of the ancient festival of Nowruz.

The Obama administration -- in a major shift from former President George W. Bush's isolation policy towards Iran, which he once branded part of an "axis of evil" -- has expressed an openness to face-to-face diplomatic contacts with Tehran.

Obama has also insisted that Iran end support for groups the United States considers terrorist organizations and cease "bellicose language" toward U.S. ally Israel.

The United States cut off diplomatic ties with Iran during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, in which a group of militant Iranian students held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage at the American Embassy for 444 days.

Obama has said the United States is prepared to extend a hand of peace to Iran if it "unclenched its fist". Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he is open to talks with Washington, but has demanded a fundamental change to U.S. policy in the Middle East.

In what was seen as an initial overture, the Obama administration said recently it would invite Tehran to an international conference on Afghanistan later this month. Iran has said it would consider the invitation.