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US plans to set up envoy presence in Tehran

The US plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years in a remarkable turnaround in policy by President George W. Bush.

Washington will make an announcement in the next month concerning the establishment of a US interest section — a halfway house to setting up a full embassy. The move will see US diplomats stationed in the country.

The news of the shift by Bush, who has pursued a hawkish approach to Iran throughout his tenure, comes at a critical time in US-Iranian relations. After weeks that have seen tensions rise with Israel conducting war games and Tehran carrying out long-range missile tests, a thaw appears to be under way.

The White House announced on Wednesday that US Undersecretary of State William Burns would be sent to Switzerland tomorrow to hear Tehran’s response to a European offer aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff.

Burns is to sit at the table with Iranian officials despite Bush repeatedly ruling out direct talks on the nuclear issue until Iran suspends its uranium enrichment program, which is a possible first step on the way to a nuclear weapon capability.

A frequent complaint of the Iranians is that they want to deal directly with the US instead of its surrogates, Britain, France and Germany.

Bush has taken a hard line with Iran throughout the last seven years but, in the dying days of his administration, it is believed he is keen to have a positive legacy that he can point to.

The return of US diplomats to Iran is dependent on agreement by Tehran. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated earlier this week that he was not against the opening of a US mission. Iran would consider favorably any request aimed at boosting relations between the two countries, he said.

US interests in the country at present are looked after by the Swiss embassy. The creation of a US interest section would see diplomats stationed in Tehran for the first time since the hostage crisis that began when hundreds of students, as part of the Iranian revolution that led to fall of the Shah, stormed the US embassy in 1979 and held the occupants until 1981.
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