US: Hot dog diplomacy: US embassies open to Iranians on July 4
03 Jun 2009 4:38 AM
WASHINGTON, June 2 AFP - Opening a round of hot dog diplomacy with Iran, the State Department says it is letting US embassies invite Iranian diplomats to their Fourth of July celebrations this year.
It would be the first time in nearly 30 years that Iranian diplomats have been on the guest list for these affairs, which often feature hot dogs and other traditional Independence Day fare.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said on Tuesday a cable went out to US diplomatic missions last week advising that Iranian diplomats "may be invited" to their July 4 receptions.
"We review these types of invitations every year, and a decision was made this year to invite officials from Iran," Wood said.
"This is very much in line with our policy of trying to engage the Iranian government," he said.
It's mainly a symbolic gesture because US diplomats are not supposed to discuss substantive issues with Iranian officials, in keeping with an internal rule that remains in effect, Wood said.
"But, clearly, our policy here is to reach out and engage Iran. And so this is just one way of doing that," he added.
The United States has not had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, when the US embassy in Tehran was stormed and its diplomats taken hostage.
US diplomats are only allowed to exchange pleasantries if they find themselves face to face with an Iranian official at a reception. But they are not permitted to answer if asked a question of substance.
What is new now is that the Iranians will be invited inside US embassies abroad, or in other words, onto US territory, and permission for that is only being given for July 4, Wood said.
