Attach strings to U.S. visa for Ahmadinejad

Gail Munford, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

Kudos to Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia for going to Myanmar this past weekend, meeting with the country’s leader, Gen. Than Shwe, and obtaining the release of an American prisoner there as well as visiting with Aung San Suu Kyi, a pro-democracy leader under house arrest.

Between this visit and the release of the two captive journalists in North Korea, it seems to me that we should have some bargaining power with Iran and its leadership. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants a visa to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September. Last time he did so, though he was restricted in travel distance, he managed to give a few detrimental speeches.

This time, before President Barack Obama grants him a visa, we should demand that the three American hikers recently taken prisoner in Iran as well as several other Americans missing in Iran over the past few years be returned to the United States.

I think Mr. Ahmadinejad’s ego (in light of the controversy over the legitimacy of his election) needs to be assuaged by attending the U.N. event and, therefore, he might just be inclined to release these prisoners. He certainly should not have a free ride to New York.