State Department Urges Release of Saberi, Conrad Says

Press Release

State Department Urges Release of Saberi, Conrad Says

At the urging ofSenator Kent Conrad and other lawmakers, the U.S. State Department today formally requested that the Iranian government release Fargo-native Roxana Saberi, a journalist who has been detained by Iranian authorities since January.

"The State Department continues to work through diplomatic channels to secure Roxana's release. Today's meeting is but the latest in an international effort to free Roxana," Senator Conrad said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with Roxana and her family and I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that she returns safely to her family."

At an international conference at The Hague in the Netherlands today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had an "Aide Memoire" delivered directly to the Iranian deputy foreign minister. In international relations, an "Aide Memoire" is an urgent diplomatic correspondence stating a government's view or policy on a particular matter. According to reports, the memoire requests the release of three Americans held or believed missing in Iran, including Saberi.

"We ask Iran to use all its facilities to determine the whereabouts and ensure the quick and safe return of Robert Levinson, and grant the release of Roxana Saberi, and permission to travel for Roxana Saberi and Esha Momeni," the memoire states. "These acts would certainly constitute a humanitarian gesture by the Islamic Republic of Iran in keeping with the spirit of renewal and generosity that marks the Persian new year."

The Aide Memoire asking for humanitarian help was delivered to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Mehdi Akhoundzadeh by U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke. In addition to Saberi, the letter asks for assistance in locating Levinson, a former FBI agent who went missing two years ago while on a business trip to Iran, and Momeni, an Iranian-American student detained in Iran last year.
Senator Conrad has maintained regular contact with State Department officials, including Secretary Clinton, since learning of Saberi's detention last month. He has contacted Clinton on several occasions urging her to assist in the Saberi case.

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