At Cathedral, Iran's Khatami Urges Dialogue

Many of the protesters waved photographs of victims of Iranian government torture and pictures of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, toppled in the 1979 revolution. Banners urged, "No dialogue, no war, only regime change," and "Free all political prisoners in Iran."

Police cars lined up in front of the crowd and helicopters with searchlights circled overhead, but there were no incidents reported and no noticeable traffic delays from the protest.

Khatami is the highest-ranking Iranian figure to visit Washington since the United States severed ties in 1979, after its embassy in Tehran was overrun by revolutionaries who took 52 hostages and held them for 444 days.

He comes at a time when the United States is pressing for new international sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, and on a day when officials from the five countries with permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council joined German officials in Berlin to discuss those sanctions.

The visit prompted condemnation not only in some Iranian circles but also from some lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

At a news conference yesterday morning organized by Iranian dissidents, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) announced that he planned to mark Khatami's visit by introducing the Iran Human Rights Act, to ensure that the United States supports opposition groups.

The proposal calls for a new U.S. special envoy to coordinate with Iranian opposition groups, authorizes $100 million for new U.S. programs that focus on Iran's human rights practices, and requires more broadcasting into Iran on democracy and human rights issues.

Brownback also called on the State Department to give visas to liberal professors whom the Iranian government this week threatened to purge.

"For too long, the focus on Iran's nuclear program has overshadowed the human rights violations perpetrated by its tyrannical regime," Brownback said. His legislation would make Iran's human rights practices a top priority of U.S. foreign policy.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) criticized the Bush administration for allowing U.S. taxpayers to "subsidize" the former Iranian leader's visit by providing a security detail -- particularly after the treatment of U.S. diplomats in Iran during their captivity. The State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security is in charge of such protection.

A handful of former prisoners, as well as the sister of a student activist who was arrested during Khatami's presidency and died last month in jail, spoke emotionally to reporters about the incarcerations and their opposition to the regime.

"Don't be deceived by his smile," said Roya Tolooei, who said she once thought Khatami would be different. "It didn't take us long to realize he wasn't the one."

Reza Pahlavi urged the international community not to "waste time" on negotiating with Iran since an Aug. 31 deadline has passed for Tehran to comply with a U.N. demand that it stop uranium enrichment.

Before coming to the cathedral, Khatami spoke yesterday in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, where he excoriated the idea of dividing the world into "us and them."

"This 'us' is a small circle encompassing a few that have the right to arrive at any verdict they please regarding the ones they consider 'the other.' They can force this 'other' to submit to their whims or even eliminate 'the other' altogether," Khatami said.

Staff writer Allan Lengel contributed to this report.