THE TELEGRAPH: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has recognised Israel's right to exist for the first time, saying it would be "fine with us" if the Palestinians reached a two-state solution.
Asked if he would support an agreement between the Palestinians and Tehran's arch enemy, he said: "Whatever decision they take is fine with us. We are not going to determine anything. Whatever decision they take, we will support that.
"We think that is the right of the Palestinian people, however we fully expect other states to do so as well."
Given his frequently stated hostility to Israel's existence - calling more than once for its "annihilation" - and his habit of capriciously offering threat and promises of friendship within the space of a few days, Mr Ahmadinejad's words will not treated by Western diplomats as a permanent shift in policy.
He has previously declared that Israel should be "wiped off the map" and a week ago accused the Israelis of running the "the most cruel and repressive racist regime".
But his comments are now in the open and cannot be taken back. They will provide the Obama administration and its European partners significant encouragement that he is prepared to move beyond the mutual hostility of the Bush era and negotiate on Iran's nuclear programme, which the West is convinced is designed to produced nuclear weapons as soon as possible. >>> By Alex Spillius in Washington | Sunday, April 26, 2009
