EAGER TO RETREAT, JUST NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE DOING SO:

Iran Offers Talks On Nuclear Issue: But Proceedings at U.N. Must Stop, Newly Disclosed Proposal Warns (John Ward Anderson, 9/13/06, Washington Post)

Iran's confidential response three weeks ago to an international proposal over its nuclear program offered extensive negotiations to resolve the standoff, but only if proceedings against Iran in the U.N. Security Council were stopped.

In a detailed and sometimes rambling document given to foreign governments, Iran stopped short of rejecting demands to halt its nuclear enrichment program, saying the issue could be resolved in talks. The response, closely held for weeks, was made public on a Web site Monday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not intend to reject the whole issue unilaterally, and is ready to provide an opportunity for both sides to share their viewpoints on this issue and try to convince each other and reach a mutual understanding," the document says.

Like Hamas, they want defeat without too much embarrasment.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 13, 2006 8:02 AM