Gandhi Peace Brigade/CodePink Meets with Ahmadinejad

Copy of post at San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media Center by Jes Richardson Sunday Oct 05, 2008 - excerpt:

Gandhi Peace Brigade/CodePink Meets with Ahmadinejad

President Ahmadinejad met with CodePink in New York City last week. Hopefully, this will open the door for talks in the future. CodePink plans to visit Iran this November. In addition to asking for a second meeting with President Ahmadinejad, we will also be talking with teachers and students in Iran to encourage friendships with teachers and students here in the United States. If you're interested in knowing more about this program, please get in touch: jes_richardson [at] yahoo.com

Dear Friends,

President Ahmadinejad spoke at the United Nations last week. The next day he met with 150 people from 50 different peace groups, an event organized by Fellowship of Reconciliation http://www.forusa.org/. Leslie was honored to be a part of this historic event: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081013/huff-hannon.

President Ahmadinejad told the delegation,"Iranians love Americans!" He also said his country doesn't want war. He believes the time of the atomic bomb has come to an end. "We've passed that time; we have no interest in the bomb." Over three years ago Iran's spiritual leader issued a proclamation, or fatwa, prohibiting the possession of nuclear weapons. Iran hasn't attacked another country in 260 years.

Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, Co-founders of Code Pink, were both there. A few people were selected to talk about their organization and ask Ahmadinejad a question. Medea, as the Founding Director of Global Exchange, had this to say: "President Ahmadinejad, my organization has been sending delegations to Iran for years, but the process is cumbersome, and we never know who is going to get a visa, and often not until the last minute. I, myself, would love to visit Iran, but I can't get a visa!" He responded with a promise he'd push to make it easier for Americans to get visas and hoped the U.S. would do the same for Iranians.

Source: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/10/05/18542944.php