U.S. officials at the United Nations and State Department say President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and an Iranian delegation have filed paperwork at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland for visas to visit the United States next week.
The irony is Ahmadinejad wants to attend the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference hosted by the United Nations, when the U.S. is discussing with members of the Security Council another round of sanctions for Tehran’s nuclear program.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley says the applications were filed this morning, and it is expected the visas will be granted.
“You know, any foreign official who’s coming to the U.N. for official business is normally granted a visa,” Crowley told reporters.
“Our focus is, should he come, we want to see him play a constructive role in the upcoming NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)… review conference,” said Crowley.
Assuming Ahmadinejad visits New York, don’t expect a one-on-one with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“The secretary will have a number of bilaterals when she’s in New York early next week,” the State Department spokesman told reporters. “The Iranian president or foreign minister is not on the schedule.”