Iran's President Refuses to Say Whether Roxana Saberi May Be Freed

April 22, 2009— -- In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declined to say whether his government would release Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American freelance journalist based in Iran who was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of being an American spy.

"I am not a judge, and I do not pass judgment over judicial cases," Ahmadinejad said in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "In Iran, the judiciary is independent. I have stressed like others she should be accorded her full rights."

President Obama has said he is confident that Saberi, whose parents live in North Dakota, was not involved in any espionage, and that he is "gravely concerned" for her safety.

Watch the interview between ABC's George Stephanopoulos and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on "This Week" Sunday.

"I think Mr. Obama, as a sign of change and also to encourage friendship, should allow laws to be processed fairly and allow the judiciary to carry out its duties," Ahmadinejad said, when asked whether he would release the 31-year-old as a humanitarian good will gesture. "I am sure she is not being mistreated."

Saberi's confinement has provided the Iranian president an opportunity to assess how he should deal with the new administration in Washington. The Obama administration has said it wants to reach out to the Iranian people but continues to take issues with Ahmadinejad's actions. Just recently, the U.S. condemned Ahmadinejad's statements criticizing Israel at the U.N. conference on racism in Geneva.

Ahmadinejad, who is up for re-election in June, echoed Obama's calls for a new beginning but would not commit to sitting down and discussing Iran's nuclear program, saying he is waiting for a response from the Obama administration on the letter he sent to the president when he took office in January.

Saberi's detention remains a thorny issue in U.S.-Iranian relations.

When asked whether ABC News could visit the detained journalist to see whether she is safe, the Iranian president responded, "Lets see. We'll see if our judicial regulations allow for that, sure. But if they do not allow for that, no. I'm afraid not."