The author Salman Rushdie yesterday hailed the resumption of diplomatic relations between Britain and Iran as the end of the nine-year death threat hanging over him for writing The Satanic Verses.
The move was announced after a meeting in New York between the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, and his Iranian counterpart, Dr Kamal Kharrazi.
Dr Kharrazi said Iran meant no harm to Rushdie and did not support the $2 million bounty put on his head. A fatwa, or Islamic sentence of death, was placed on Rushdie in 1989 by the late Ayatollah Khomeini for allegedly insulting Islam in his book.
Speaking as he left the Foreign Office in London yesterday evening, Rushdie said: "I've had a very thorough briefing from [the Foreign Office minister] Derek Fatchett, and I've also spoken to Robin Cook on the phone, and, well, it looks like it's over, it looks like it's over.
"There's one or two self-styled hardliners in England belonging to tinpot organisations who are saying this and that but they are completely unimportant."
London-based Islamic groups warned that the fatwa still stood as the Iranian government did not have the power to lift it.
"It doesn't change anything, the Iranian government has no authority to revoke the fatwa and has not done so", said Mr Ghaysuddin Siddiqi, head of the non-elected Muslim Parliament group, referring to a religious decree.
The French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine, praised Iran's decision. "It is good news," Mr Vedrine said through the ministry's spokeswoman. Mr Vedrine visited Iran last month.