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Article: Despite its pious hypocrisy, Iran must be consulted.
- Article from:
- The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA)
- Article date:
- February 13, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Philadelphia Inquirer. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Mark Bowden
An Iranian diplomat was kidnapped last week in Iraq.
And Iran cried foul. Very foul.
Granted, the kidnapping of any diplomat is an assault, not just on the country he represents but also on the principle of diplomacy.
So how did former U.S. ambassador Bruce Laingen, a distinguished American foreign-service officer, now retired, a man who spent his career in the service of diplomacy, feel when he heard the news?
"I laughed," he said. "The protest is certainly coming from a strange quarter."
Or John Limbert, another distinguished retired American diplomat?