From The Times UK
By Richard Beeston

The former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is due to arrive in America shortly at the start of a two-week visit that could open a diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran, just as the two old enemies are set to lock horns over the controversial Iranian nuclear programme.

The softly-spoken reformist will become the most senior Iranian to visit America in nearly three decades. He is expected to attend the United Nations Dialogue of Civilisations conference in New York next Tuesday, address an inter-faith meeting at the National Cathedral in Washington on Thursday and give a speech to an Islamic group in Chicago.

The highlight could be a meeting with Jimmy Carter, the former American President who heads the Carter Centre in Atlanta, a conflict-resolution organisation.

Iranian and American officials insist that the visit by Mr Khatami and his entourage of aides and family members is purely private. No meetings are planned with members of the Bush Administration and he will not be representing President Ahmadinejad, his hardline successor.

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