Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)- US presidential hopeful Barrack Obama backed off from his earlier pledge to talk with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Obama began to back away from his offer to pursue talks with Iranian president after being criticized by Republicans.
Republicans have labeled Barack Obama as an “appeaser” in his presidential campaign who had pledged to hold talks with leaders from Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea without preconditions during his firs year in the White House, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
Obama on Wednesday attacked John McCain over his hawkish foreign policy while backing off from his promise last year to meet Ahmadinejad without preconditions if elected president.
His campaign has stopped mentioning Ahmadinejad by name, and noting that there must be “preparations” for such an encounter.
“He wants to talk to the Iranian leadership,” Bill Richardson, the New Mexico governor and Obama supporter, told Fox television. “But he wants diplomatic preparation before doing that.”
Obama’s foreign policy adviser, Susan Rice, said that he did not necessarily mean he would meet Ahmadinejad when he offered to open talks with Iran. “He hasn’t named who that leader will be,” she said. “It may, in fact be that by the middle of next year, Ahmadinejad is long gone.”
Clinton defeated Obama in Kentucky, taking 65 percent of the vote against Obama’s 30 percent. But the senator for Illinois racked up a big win in Oregon, with 58% of the vote against 42% for Clinton.
