US Senate votes to bar Iranian envoy

White House Spokesperson Jay Carney has declared that Hamid Aboutalebi is “not viable” to represent Iran at the United Nations. The US Senate voted to bar him from entering the country, and the House of Representatives is expected to do the same thing very soon. Sumumba Sobokwe, a leader of Occupy Wall Street, says this is outrageous.
Many US officials allege that Aboutalebi was part of the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, when students seized the embassy because it was believed to be a center of US spying against the country. Aboutalebi says he was not involved. Many are concerned that the disagreement over Aboutalebi’s visa could hinder the process of negotiation and dialogue between the US and Iran, and create greater hostility. Sumumba Sobokwe feels that the US media often mis-characterizes Iran, making peace more difficult.Farhan Haq, spokesperon for the Secretary-General has said “this is something to be dealt with bilaterally.” The United Nations has not yet officially responded to the situation.