Editor-in-Chief of Kayhan Iranian Daily: Negotiating with America is Like Shaking Hands with Satan and Dancing with Wolves

Following are excerpts from an interview with Hossein Shariatmadari, Editor-in-Chief of Kayhan newspaper, which aired on Channel 1, Iranian TV, on May 16, 2007.

Hossein Shariatmadari: In my opinion, negotiating with America is like shaking hands with Satan, and dancing with wolves, because the Americans are interested in negotiations for negotiations' sake, and not as an effort to resolve their problems with [the Iraqis]. The goal of the Americans is to use the means at our disposal in order to get themselves out of the Iraqi quagmire. They are not interested in anything else. This was made very clear by the Baker-Hamilton report, as well as by the AEI report from six months ago, and by the report of the well-known "Danger Committee." By negotiating with us, they are trying to intimidate the world of Islam and the Islamic movements, saying: "Even Islamic Iran, which you follow and which serves as your model, eventually had no choice but to get along with us."