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Former U.S. Officials Urge Trump to Negotiate with Iranian Opposition | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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U.S. President-elect Donald Trump waves to supporters as he makes an appearance in the lobby at Trump Tower in New York, U.S., January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar – RTX2YV1S


London – Nearly two dozen former U.S. officials have urged President-elect Donald Trump to enter into discussions with the Iranian opposition group – the National Council of Resistance of Iran – to reconsider the current U.S. administration in order to put an end to the Iranian role in shaking stability in the region and to take full responsibility for the human rights’ abuses in Iran.

The former officials requested in a letter that the new U.S. administration holds discussions with Iranian opposition group, Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).

The letter’s signatories include former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, former FBI director Louis Freeh, President Barack Obama’s former national security adviser James Jones, former Democratic New Jersey senator Robert Torricelli and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton.

Both Democratic and Republican officials were included among the signatories.

The letter revealed that the U.S. interests, policies, strategic concepts and the allies’ benefits are in danger due to the record-rate of execution cases in Iran and the imposed-sectarian war through supporting Assad regime in Syria and Shi’ite militias in Iraq.

“The power and credibility of U.S. in the world needs a policy based on mutual international standards and concepts, reflecting high standards of peace and justice,” said the letter.

It noted that “the pursuit of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to possess nuclear power is not due to legitimate concerns to defend the country but to the wish to maintain the dictatorial regime that lacks legality since the beginning of his aggressive age and his lack of courage to carry out public free elections.”

The letter concluded with re-demanding the U.S. administration to commence discourse with the exiled Iranian opposition.