Ahmadinejad: No President, No Government in Lebanon before End of Bush”s Term

Diplomatic sources close to Tehran on Wednesday quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as telling a high-ranking Arab official that Lebanon will not have a new President or a new government before the end of U.S. President George Bush”s term Jan. 20, 2009.

 

Meanwhile, a French diplomatic source familiar with Iran”s policy, said Tehran was “waiting for a change in the U.S. administration before it decides whether it wants negotiations on the nuclear issue.”

 

The source said Iran”s priority “is to negotiate with Washington, not with Europeans.”

 

“If Tehran decides to negotiate with a new U.S. Administration, then it would want comprehensive talks including its role in Iraq in return for the nuclear issue, just as Syria wants to negotiate its role in Iraq in exchange for Lebanon,” the French source said.