No Meeting Between President Obama And Iranian President Rouhani

Obama Pledges Diplomacy With Iran, But No Rouhani Meeting -- Reuters

(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday cautiously embraced overtures from Iran's new president as the foundation for a possible nuclear deal, but a meeting between the two leaders failed to materialize, underscoring entrenched distrust that will be hard to overcome.

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Obama said he was determined to test President Hassan Rouhani's recent diplomatic gestures and challenged him to take concrete steps toward resolving Iran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West.

But in a sign of the difficulties the two countries face in trying to seize a historic opening, U.S. and Iranian officials were unable to orchestrate a much-anticipated handshake between the leaders on the U.N. sidelines in New York.

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Update: No handshake between Obama and Iran's leader, at least not this week -- L.A. Times

My Comment: The Iranians are not ready to meet the "Great Satan" .... that is one bridge too far for them to cross right now .... a fact that many who were hopeful in the US media of such a meeting choose to ignore. But the Iranian President did accomplish one important goal, and that was to meet the French President. This Iranian - French meeting was not a surprise .... the Iranians have always had good relations with France for years .... after-all if was France that gave sanctuary to Ayatollah Khomeini before the fall of the Shah.