AFP Reports: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday integrated a cultural centre run by his predecessor Mohammad Khatami into a new body, the government said, in a fresh strike on the reformist ex-president.
The Centre for Dialogue of Civilisations is headed by Khatami and has been one of his most cherished projects since leaving office in 2005 with the self-declared aim of seeking to build a bridge between different cultures.
The new government-run centre is called the National Centre for Research on Globalisation and is to be run by an Ahmadinejad loyalist, Vice President in charge of tourism Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, an official statement said.
"According to the decree of President Ahmadinejad, all the assets and personnel of the Centre for Dialogue of Civilisations will be integrated into a new National Centre for Research on Globalisation," said the statement posted on the presidency's website.
The new centre "will work directly under the control of the president," it added.
Political tensions in Iran have become increasingly bitter ahead of parliamentary elections on March 14, in which conservatives and moderates are hoping to challenge hardliners loyal to the president.
After two years of virtual political silence, Khatami has come out with virulent attacks on Ahmadinejad's economic policies in recent weeks, accusing the government of stoking soaring inflation in Iran.
The government has hit back by attacking the record of Khatami's 1997-2005 presidency, with Ahmadinejad describing critics of his policy in the nuclear crisis as "traitors".
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Non-tolerance of criticisms unjust: Khatami
IRNA - Iran's former president Mohammad Khatami said in Tehran Saturday that superficial persons, gripped with their own suspicions, cannot tolerate any opposition against their "truth looking" suspicions.
Head of the International Institution of Dialogue among Cultures nd Civilizations, Hojjatoleslam Khatami told a group of artists and literarymen that the practice by the said group cannot be fair and just.
Elaborating on the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Ghadir, on which occasion he was delivering the speech, Khatami said the world is more than ever in need of justice, the path laid down by the first Shia Imam, Hazrat Ali (PBUH).
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatami called for administration of justice and helping the needy.
He said people should roll up sleeves and try to attain justice, and democracy and decide their own fate.
"Justice, democracy and deciding their own fate are not blessings bestowed to the public by power holders -- the things which they (the power holders) refuse to do. People should gain them themselves," said Khatami.
Head of the International Institution of Dialogue among Cultures nd Civilizations, Hojjatoleslam Khatami told a group of artists and literarymen that the practice by the said group cannot be fair and just.
Elaborating on the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Ghadir, on which occasion he was delivering the speech, Khatami said the world is more than ever in need of justice, the path laid down by the first Shia Imam, Hazrat Ali (PBUH).
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatami called for administration of justice and helping the needy.
He said people should roll up sleeves and try to attain justice, and democracy and decide their own fate.
"Justice, democracy and deciding their own fate are not blessings bestowed to the public by power holders -- the things which they (the power holders) refuse to do. People should gain them themselves," said Khatami.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Iran's Khatami returns from the shadows
by Stuart Williams and Hiedeh Farmani
AFP Reports: Former president Mohammad Khatami, who embodied hopes for Iranian reform in the late 1990s, has launched a sudden comeback after retreating into the political wilderness in the last two years, analysts say.
Khatami, who had remained virtually silent over the performance of his conservative successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since leaving office in 2005, has now launched a series of bitter attacks on the president's economic policies.
He is underpinning a moderate coalition aiming to challenge conservative dominance of parliament in March 14 legislative elections, creating speculation he could be mulling another crack at the presidency in 2009.
Khatami, president from 1997-2005, in the last month gave speeches to mass rallies in the cities of Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz and also addressed a packed hall of students at Tehran University.
"During these trips Mr Khatami is using his popularity and mobilising people in favour of his camp for the parliament elections," said conservative analyst Amir Mohebian.
"At the same time he is testing the ground whether he can make a comeback in the future for presidency."
Reformist analyst Hamid Reza Jalaipour said Khatami had been compelled to take a more "active role" due to his concern about economic issues like Iran's failure to hit growth targets, capital flight and the brain drain to the West.
Ahmadinejad's confrontational foreign policy -- refusing to give the slightest concession in the nuclear standoff and questioning the scale of the Holocaust -- has also played a role, he said.
"People like Khatami and (ex-president Akbar) Hashemi Rafsanjani understand these things very well. Khatami feels that his policy of detente and confidence building has been aborted," he said.
The bookish cleric, accused by some liberal critics of being overly cautious in office, has also boldly questioned the role of the hardline vetting body the Guardians Council in screening election candidates.
The 12-member Guardians Council is a pillar of the Iranian system which had the power to disqualify over 2,000 candidates in the last 2004 parliamentary elections.
"What right do we have to decide in the place of the electorate and prevent the candidature of people who have the confidence of the people only because six or twelve people do not approve them?" he asked at Tehran University.
"Some people should not feel they know what is best for the country on behalf of people," he added even more bluntly in last week's speech in Tabriz.
Khatami has also said Ahmadinejad's chief election slogan of promoting economic justice simply serves to "spread poverty" and even accused the government of massaging statistics to soften high inflation rates.
In a weekend speech in the northern Mazandaran province he urged Iran to be "alert" in the face of international threats, a contrast to Ahmadinejad's confidence that Iran will defeat its enemies.
Stymied by influential hardliners such as the Guardians Council which blocked many reform measures, Khatami's presidency ended in disappointment.
The hopes of Iran's booming young population that carried him to the landslide election victory in 1997 that shocked the world were, by his own admission, not fulfilled.
But despite the acknowledged failures of his rule, Khatami remains a charismatic and popular figure amongst many in Iran.
The warm welcome he received in the Tehran University speech was particularly symbolic as it was on the same campus in December 2004 that a visibly upset Khatami was heckled by students for failing to realize promises.
With his immaculate clerical robes, neatly trimmed beard and learned rhetoric, he presents a stark contrast to the populist Ahmadinejad.
"There is still a lot of interest in what he has to say. Although he could not fully deliver on his pledges, he did fairly well on the economy, which he did not make any promises about," said Jalaipour.
Khatami is the inspiring force behind the moderate coalition formed for the elections grouping his allies with forces close to Rafsanjani, according to its spokesman Morteza Haji.
Mohebian said that Khatami had been claiming Iran was in a critical situation in order to mobilize voters, as a low-turn out would be catastrophic for the moderates' election hopes.
"They (the moderates) know that the right wing has a secure number of voters and when the turnout is low they (the conservatives) will win," he said.
"They need to mobilise the middle class if they want to win."
Khatami's reemergence onto the Iranian political scene seemed unlikely just months ago, when his energies appeared entirely devoted to his work as head of a centre for the "Dialogue of Civilisations".
Whether his reemergence is aimed at being the figurehead for moderates in parliament or returning to the presidency is impossible to predict. Khatami has yet to give any public hints about his future political intentions.
AFP Reports: Former president Mohammad Khatami, who embodied hopes for Iranian reform in the late 1990s, has launched a sudden comeback after retreating into the political wilderness in the last two years, analysts say.
Khatami, who had remained virtually silent over the performance of his conservative successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since leaving office in 2005, has now launched a series of bitter attacks on the president's economic policies.
He is underpinning a moderate coalition aiming to challenge conservative dominance of parliament in March 14 legislative elections, creating speculation he could be mulling another crack at the presidency in 2009.
Khatami, president from 1997-2005, in the last month gave speeches to mass rallies in the cities of Kerman, Mashhad, Tabriz and also addressed a packed hall of students at Tehran University.
"During these trips Mr Khatami is using his popularity and mobilising people in favour of his camp for the parliament elections," said conservative analyst Amir Mohebian.
"At the same time he is testing the ground whether he can make a comeback in the future for presidency."
Reformist analyst Hamid Reza Jalaipour said Khatami had been compelled to take a more "active role" due to his concern about economic issues like Iran's failure to hit growth targets, capital flight and the brain drain to the West.
Ahmadinejad's confrontational foreign policy -- refusing to give the slightest concession in the nuclear standoff and questioning the scale of the Holocaust -- has also played a role, he said.
"People like Khatami and (ex-president Akbar) Hashemi Rafsanjani understand these things very well. Khatami feels that his policy of detente and confidence building has been aborted," he said.
The bookish cleric, accused by some liberal critics of being overly cautious in office, has also boldly questioned the role of the hardline vetting body the Guardians Council in screening election candidates.
The 12-member Guardians Council is a pillar of the Iranian system which had the power to disqualify over 2,000 candidates in the last 2004 parliamentary elections.
"What right do we have to decide in the place of the electorate and prevent the candidature of people who have the confidence of the people only because six or twelve people do not approve them?" he asked at Tehran University.
"Some people should not feel they know what is best for the country on behalf of people," he added even more bluntly in last week's speech in Tabriz.
Khatami has also said Ahmadinejad's chief election slogan of promoting economic justice simply serves to "spread poverty" and even accused the government of massaging statistics to soften high inflation rates.
In a weekend speech in the northern Mazandaran province he urged Iran to be "alert" in the face of international threats, a contrast to Ahmadinejad's confidence that Iran will defeat its enemies.
Stymied by influential hardliners such as the Guardians Council which blocked many reform measures, Khatami's presidency ended in disappointment.
The hopes of Iran's booming young population that carried him to the landslide election victory in 1997 that shocked the world were, by his own admission, not fulfilled.
But despite the acknowledged failures of his rule, Khatami remains a charismatic and popular figure amongst many in Iran.
The warm welcome he received in the Tehran University speech was particularly symbolic as it was on the same campus in December 2004 that a visibly upset Khatami was heckled by students for failing to realize promises.
With his immaculate clerical robes, neatly trimmed beard and learned rhetoric, he presents a stark contrast to the populist Ahmadinejad.
"There is still a lot of interest in what he has to say. Although he could not fully deliver on his pledges, he did fairly well on the economy, which he did not make any promises about," said Jalaipour.
Khatami is the inspiring force behind the moderate coalition formed for the elections grouping his allies with forces close to Rafsanjani, according to its spokesman Morteza Haji.
Mohebian said that Khatami had been claiming Iran was in a critical situation in order to mobilize voters, as a low-turn out would be catastrophic for the moderates' election hopes.
"They (the moderates) know that the right wing has a secure number of voters and when the turnout is low they (the conservatives) will win," he said.
"They need to mobilise the middle class if they want to win."
Khatami's reemergence onto the Iranian political scene seemed unlikely just months ago, when his energies appeared entirely devoted to his work as head of a centre for the "Dialogue of Civilisations".
Whether his reemergence is aimed at being the figurehead for moderates in parliament or returning to the presidency is impossible to predict. Khatami has yet to give any public hints about his future political intentions.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Vigilantes attack Billboards in Kerman
On the eve of Khatami's trip to Kerman Province, Hardliners attacked billboards and tore up Khatami's pictures.
Baran Found reports: Last night hard-line groups have attacked all billboards, on which there were advertisements for Khatami's imminent trip to Kerman Province.
According to the report, on the eve of Mohammad Khatami’s trip to Kerman, because of the joyfulness and excitement of people of Kerman for this trip, vigilantes attacked billboards and tore up pictures of Khatami.
Mr. Alavian, a spokesman for Kerman’s reformists coalition expressed hope that people of Kerman will warmly receive and welcome Khatami and by doing so they will respond to the illegal acts of anti-Khatami groups.
In his trip to Kerman, Mohammad Khatami plans to meet with people of Kerman, reformist groups, journalists, clerics, and political activists. He will also visit Bam City.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Mohammad Khatami attends Yalda Festival organized by "Chelcheragh" weekly!
"Chelcheragh", the famous Iranian weekly magazine, on Sunday night organized a great festival to celebrate Yalda Night in honor of Mohammad Khatami, its long-supported politician, thinker and scholar, along with a number of celebrities such as artists, pop singers, movie actors, actresses, directors, and political activists.
A similar ceremony by the same weekly was held in December 2005, titled a man with a chocolate rob, however, the ceremony on Sunday night was greater, because of the number and the famousness of guests and invitees.
Mohammad Reza Khatami, Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Mohsen Namjoo, Mehran Modiri, Adel Ferdowsipour, Golshifte Farahani, Mahtab Keramati, Niki Karimi, Hanie Tavasoli, Sirus Alvand, Hossein Zaman, Fateme Motamed Aria and many others were among the special guests.
Mohammad Khatami stated in the ceremony that he is proud of being an Iranin and hoped in future Iran enjoy a better status in the world.
To view photo reports of the ceremony you can visit:
Fars News Agency, Mehr News Agency.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
In Tabriz, Mohammad Khatami rebukes hardline clerics
Khatami: No one and no authority has the right to deprive an individual, who ... is loyal to the constitution and has not committed any crimes proved in court, of the right to elect or be elected. Such deprivation, under any pretext, is against the spirit of the constitution and Islam and Sharia
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI - Iran (AP) - A popular former president has resumed his attacks against hardline Iranian clerics threatening to disqualify reformists from upcoming elections.
In comments published Saturday, Mohammad Khatami, the president until 2005, was quoted as telling residents in the northwestern town of Tabriz that arbitrarily banning candidates was against Iran's constitution and Islam.
The remarks were the latest in a wave of criticism of the hardline bloc, which includes Khatami's successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"No one and no authority has the right to deprive an individual, who ... is loyal to the constitution and has not committed any crimes proved in court, of the right to elect or be elected,'' Khatami was quoted by several pro-reform newspapers as saying Thursday. "Such deprivation, under any pretext, is against the spirit of the constitution and Islam.''
Khatami, who voiced similar criticism earlier this month, was referring to threats made by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the powerful head of the Guardian Council, Iran's constitutional watchdog.
Jannati, a key ally of Ahmadinejad and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in early December that any candidate determined by the Guardian Council to be disloyal to the principles of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution would be barred from parliamentary elections in March.
The Guardian Council's 12 members include six clerics hand-picked by Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters and is commander in chief of the armed forces. Hardliners consider him to be answerable only to God.
In 2004, the council prohibited thousands of reformists from running in the elections, resulting in the hard-liners' takeover of the parliament.
Political analyst Leila Chamankhah said Khatami's repeated attacks against Iran's hardliners and his increasing public appearances signaled a vigorous re-entry into politics ahead of parliamentary elections in March."This is a new political comeback for Khatami after his departure from the presidency,'' she said. "He feels he has a responsibility to come to the support of reformers who fight for greater democracy and personal freedoms in Iran.''
Khatami largely disappeared from the public spotlight after he stepped down as president. He has said he won't run in the March elections but has begun publicly supporting reformists who hope to retake control of the legislature from hardliners.
The former president won a landslide victory in 1997 on the promise of promoting political and social freedom. He was re-elected in 2001, and his stint in office saw a significant expansion of social freedoms.
Reformists are trying to form a grand coalition with independent groups in the hope of winning the upcoming elections. However, disqualification of prominent reformists could dash their hopes of retaking control of the parliament.
Calling hardliners like those on the Guardian Council "fossilized,'' Khatami said they were a major obstacle to Iran's progress.
"We have to be careful that our Islam is not confiscated by the fossilized because that is a dangerous Islam,'' Khatami was quoted as saying. "The fossilized are those who pretend to be sanctimonious, oppose progress, logic and people's sovereignty over their fate.''
People are more trusted in decision-making than officials
IRNA reports: Former president and Head of Baran (rain) Foundation Mohammad Khatami said on Saturday that massive turnout of the people in the upcoming parliamentary elections would forge national unity.
Khatami made the remarks in a meeting with peoples from different cities in Mazandaran province on Saturday.
"It should be kept in mind that in the absence of people, we cannot defend the country properly," he underlined.
"Our people have proved that they are reliable and trustworthy, therefore we should trust them and prepare the grounds for their massive turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections," he said.
Late Imam Khomeini really trusted the people and their decision makings, he said.
People are more trusted in decision-making than officials, he underlined.
The officials should prove their righteousness and truly serve people, said Khatami.
"It is our national duty to support the Islamic Republic of Iran which bears name of Islam," he said.
Iran should turn into a model for material, spiritual, cultural and economic measures among world countries, he added.
Head of the International Institute for Dialogue among Civilizations Mohammad Khatami said "We should always bear in mind that religious values lead to rationality and understanding.
"Under the current circumstances, which we are now dealing with, we should exercise vigilance to maintain our national unity and take advantage of existing opportunities to lessen threats against the country."
He added, "We are now receiving various signals which may be regarded as sign of changes in their course of action in dealing with Iran."
He said, "We should never neglect and ignore potential plots which might be hatched against us."
Khatami concluded, "We should seize the opportunity and turn the threats to opportunities to safeguard the country's interests and development."
Khatami made the remarks in a meeting with peoples from different cities in Mazandaran province on Saturday.
"It should be kept in mind that in the absence of people, we cannot defend the country properly," he underlined.
"Our people have proved that they are reliable and trustworthy, therefore we should trust them and prepare the grounds for their massive turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections," he said.
Late Imam Khomeini really trusted the people and their decision makings, he said.
People are more trusted in decision-making than officials, he underlined.
The officials should prove their righteousness and truly serve people, said Khatami.
"It is our national duty to support the Islamic Republic of Iran which bears name of Islam," he said.
Iran should turn into a model for material, spiritual, cultural and economic measures among world countries, he added.
Head of the International Institute for Dialogue among Civilizations Mohammad Khatami said "We should always bear in mind that religious values lead to rationality and understanding.
"Under the current circumstances, which we are now dealing with, we should exercise vigilance to maintain our national unity and take advantage of existing opportunities to lessen threats against the country."
He added, "We are now receiving various signals which may be regarded as sign of changes in their course of action in dealing with Iran."
He said, "We should never neglect and ignore potential plots which might be hatched against us."
Khatami concluded, "We should seize the opportunity and turn the threats to opportunities to safeguard the country's interests and development."
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Iranian Ex-presidents Call For Fair Elections
TEHRAN (AFP)--Two former Iranian presidents Thursday urged the authorities to organize free and fair parliamentary elections, amid concerns over the vetting of candidates by a hardline body.
Allies of pragmatic ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and his reformist successor Mohammad Khatami are expected to team up in the March 14 elections against hardliners loyal to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"The way to strengthen the system in the face of external enemy threats and prevent our interior divisions is to organize free and fair elections," said Rafsanjani, in comments reported by the moderate press.
"I hope that the political climate will be healthy so we can take part in elections as much as the law allows," said the cleric, who was president from 1989-1997 and now heads two important institutional bodies.
Moderates have expressed confidence over their chances of challenging the conservative majority in parliament but are worried about the vetting of every candidate by the hardline Guardians Council.
At the last elections in 2004, the unelected vetting body disqualified more than 2,000 mainly reformist candidates, causing reformist supporters to largely boycott the vote.
"Although the law needs to be modified, if we do not show narrow-mindedness and we allow all the currents of thought can take part in the election, we can have honorable elections," said Rafsanjani.
In a speech in the northern city of Tabriz, Khatami also appeared to criticize the vetting process by the 12-member Guardians Council.
"A strong participation by the electorate will allow us to reduce or prevent the narrow mindedness of some," he said. "The organizers of elections have heavy responsibilities.
"The respect of political and Islamic morals will allow us to have a healthy political climate and a correct competition between the candidates," he said.
Khatami, president from 1997-2005, had largely stayed in the shadows after handing over office to Ahmadinejad. But in the past week he has spoken out against the president and embarked on a new series of provincial tours.
Direct supervision of the organization of the elections is the responsibility of Deputy Interior Minister Ali Reza Afshar, a former Revolutionary Guards officer who was appointed in August.
Allies of pragmatic ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and his reformist successor Mohammad Khatami are expected to team up in the March 14 elections against hardliners loyal to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"The way to strengthen the system in the face of external enemy threats and prevent our interior divisions is to organize free and fair elections," said Rafsanjani, in comments reported by the moderate press.
"I hope that the political climate will be healthy so we can take part in elections as much as the law allows," said the cleric, who was president from 1989-1997 and now heads two important institutional bodies.
Moderates have expressed confidence over their chances of challenging the conservative majority in parliament but are worried about the vetting of every candidate by the hardline Guardians Council.
At the last elections in 2004, the unelected vetting body disqualified more than 2,000 mainly reformist candidates, causing reformist supporters to largely boycott the vote.
"Although the law needs to be modified, if we do not show narrow-mindedness and we allow all the currents of thought can take part in the election, we can have honorable elections," said Rafsanjani.
In a speech in the northern city of Tabriz, Khatami also appeared to criticize the vetting process by the 12-member Guardians Council.
"A strong participation by the electorate will allow us to reduce or prevent the narrow mindedness of some," he said. "The organizers of elections have heavy responsibilities.
"The respect of political and Islamic morals will allow us to have a healthy political climate and a correct competition between the candidates," he said.
Khatami, president from 1997-2005, had largely stayed in the shadows after handing over office to Ahmadinejad. But in the past week he has spoken out against the president and embarked on a new series of provincial tours.
Direct supervision of the organization of the elections is the responsibility of Deputy Interior Minister Ali Reza Afshar, a former Revolutionary Guards officer who was appointed in August.
Khatami: We must show the world that Islam and democracy are compatible!
Tabriz, Iran - For more than two years he has remained on the political sidelines, quietly observing the actions of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But now former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami has broken his silence, returning to the political stage at the head of a reformist alliance challenging Ahmadinejad in parliamentary elections scheduled for March 14.
Khatami's comeback was officially launched in the western Iranian city of Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan province. As during his tenure as president between 1997 and 2005, posters of the cleric were again plastered on walls of the city, Iran's fourth-largest.
"He was invited by the East Azerbaijan reformist groups - but this is de facto part of our election campaign," Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, former vice-president and current spokesman for Khatami, said in Tabriz.
Khatami, ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karrubi are considered by reformists as the central triangle of the opposition, although Karrubi's Etemad Melli (National Trust) party plans to run independently in the March elections.
"Of course we have this triangle but Khatami is the force behind the power - nothing works without him," said Karim Abedi, the head of the Azerbaijan office of the leading reformist Iran Islamic Participation Front (IIPF) party.
Abedi added that Khatami was the only person capable of uniting the different opposition groups to enable them stand against Ahmadinejad and his faction.
It came as no surprise, therefore, when the 64-year-old cleric was unanimously elected by the new reformist coalition group as its leader to run against the pro-Ahmadinejad wing.
In Tabriz, Khatami attended a two-hour session with the Azeri reformist groups and patiently listened to their questions, proposals, complaints and especially their fear that like before the 2004 parliamentary elections, a significant number of reformist candidates would once again be disqualified by the Guardian Council.
The Guardian Council, an ultraconservative senate-like body constitutionally in charge of approving or rejecting candidates for parliamentary and presidential elections, disqualified more than 2,500 reformist candidates for the 2004 elections without giving any reasons.
The disqualifications led to a low turnout - in the capital Tehran less than 28 per cent - and the pro-Ahmadinejad Abadgaran (Development Builders) party eventually won the elections.
"There should be trust and respect for people's decisions and votes and no official body should consider itself entitled to decide on people's behalf," Khatami said in Tabriz, earning himself a standing ovation from the 300 reformist activists present.
However Khatami warned that the reformists should be prepared for a worst-case scenario, adding that even if many candidates are again rejected, there would be more to take their place.
Boycotting the elections in protest would achieve nothing for the reformist movement, he said, as none of its aims could be realised while in opposition.
"We should break the global prejudice and show the world that Islam and democracy are compatible - although some give the impression that they are not," he said, referring to Ahmadinejad.
Iran's international image improved considerably during Khatami's eight-year presidential tenure, when the Islamic state employed various initiatives in an effort to open its gates to the West.
Reformists accuse Ahmadinejad of having tarnished Iran's reputation abroad and of having isolated the country, not only through its contentious nuclear programme but also through the president's Holocaust denials and statements advocating the eradication of Israel.
"We are very worried about the future of our country," Khatami said.
"We should therefore all work together to remove (Western) threats and instead attract new opportunities for cooperation."
Source: earthtimes.org
Khatami's comeback was officially launched in the western Iranian city of Tabriz, capital of East Azerbaijan province. As during his tenure as president between 1997 and 2005, posters of the cleric were again plastered on walls of the city, Iran's fourth-largest.
"He was invited by the East Azerbaijan reformist groups - but this is de facto part of our election campaign," Mohammad-Ali Abtahi, former vice-president and current spokesman for Khatami, said in Tabriz.
Khatami, ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani and former parliamentary speaker Mehdi Karrubi are considered by reformists as the central triangle of the opposition, although Karrubi's Etemad Melli (National Trust) party plans to run independently in the March elections.
"Of course we have this triangle but Khatami is the force behind the power - nothing works without him," said Karim Abedi, the head of the Azerbaijan office of the leading reformist Iran Islamic Participation Front (IIPF) party.
Abedi added that Khatami was the only person capable of uniting the different opposition groups to enable them stand against Ahmadinejad and his faction.
It came as no surprise, therefore, when the 64-year-old cleric was unanimously elected by the new reformist coalition group as its leader to run against the pro-Ahmadinejad wing.
In Tabriz, Khatami attended a two-hour session with the Azeri reformist groups and patiently listened to their questions, proposals, complaints and especially their fear that like before the 2004 parliamentary elections, a significant number of reformist candidates would once again be disqualified by the Guardian Council.
The Guardian Council, an ultraconservative senate-like body constitutionally in charge of approving or rejecting candidates for parliamentary and presidential elections, disqualified more than 2,500 reformist candidates for the 2004 elections without giving any reasons.
The disqualifications led to a low turnout - in the capital Tehran less than 28 per cent - and the pro-Ahmadinejad Abadgaran (Development Builders) party eventually won the elections.
"There should be trust and respect for people's decisions and votes and no official body should consider itself entitled to decide on people's behalf," Khatami said in Tabriz, earning himself a standing ovation from the 300 reformist activists present.
However Khatami warned that the reformists should be prepared for a worst-case scenario, adding that even if many candidates are again rejected, there would be more to take their place.
Boycotting the elections in protest would achieve nothing for the reformist movement, he said, as none of its aims could be realised while in opposition.
"We should break the global prejudice and show the world that Islam and democracy are compatible - although some give the impression that they are not," he said, referring to Ahmadinejad.
Iran's international image improved considerably during Khatami's eight-year presidential tenure, when the Islamic state employed various initiatives in an effort to open its gates to the West.
Reformists accuse Ahmadinejad of having tarnished Iran's reputation abroad and of having isolated the country, not only through its contentious nuclear programme but also through the president's Holocaust denials and statements advocating the eradication of Israel.
"We are very worried about the future of our country," Khatami said.
"We should therefore all work together to remove (Western) threats and instead attract new opportunities for cooperation."
Source: earthtimes.org
Friday, December 14, 2007
Mohammad Khatami to lead opposition parties in elections
Earthtimes.org - Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami will lead the reformist opposition coalition in parliamentary elections scheduled for March 14 next year, a coalition spokesman said Friday. "Khatami has a key role for preparing the reformist coalition in the elections," Abdollah Nasseri, spokesman of the Reformist Coalition Headquarters (RCH), told reporters in Tehran.
The RCH is a coalition of the main reformist and moderate groups in Iran, including the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the Organization of Mujaheddin of the Islamic Revolution and Kargozaran (Civil Servants), the latter faction led by ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
The parliament is dominated by the ultra-conservative Abadgaran (Development Builders) party which is close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and also currently trying to form a coalition with conservative factions.
A victory in the parliamentary elections would not only be a comeback for the reformists but also prepare the ground for pushing Ahmadinejad out of office in the 2009 presidential elections.
"We have still not lost hope to realise the main aim, which is Mr Khatami's presidency in 2009," said Nasseri.
The spokesman termed the Ahmadinejad government "the most unstable in Iranian (post-revolution) history," and said that the RCH would remove the current extremism from political discourse, improve Iran's grave economic problems and also restore its international image following the dispute with the West over its nuclear programme, regional policies and denying the Holocaust.
"The situation in the country is so critical that all factions should attend the elections for changing the status quo," Nasseri said.
According to press speculation, the RCH list of 30 seats for the capital Tehran, politically the main constituency, would be headed by former chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani and also include former ministers of Khatami's cabinet.
Both Khatami and Rowhani have harshly criticized Ahmadinejad for pushing Iran towards international isolation with his uncompromising policies.
Ahmadinejad's opponents accuse him of favouring ideology over expertise and consider this as the main reason why eight of his cabinet members have resigned, including the oil minister, head of the planning and budget organization, central bank governor and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
According to economic experts Ahmadinejad has failed to implement his economic reforms in favour of low-income social classes and is held responsible for high inflation and astronomic real estate prices.
The RCH is a coalition of the main reformist and moderate groups in Iran, including the Islamic Iran Participation Front, the Organization of Mujaheddin of the Islamic Revolution and Kargozaran (Civil Servants), the latter faction led by ex-president Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani.
The parliament is dominated by the ultra-conservative Abadgaran (Development Builders) party which is close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and also currently trying to form a coalition with conservative factions.
A victory in the parliamentary elections would not only be a comeback for the reformists but also prepare the ground for pushing Ahmadinejad out of office in the 2009 presidential elections.
"We have still not lost hope to realise the main aim, which is Mr Khatami's presidency in 2009," said Nasseri.
The spokesman termed the Ahmadinejad government "the most unstable in Iranian (post-revolution) history," and said that the RCH would remove the current extremism from political discourse, improve Iran's grave economic problems and also restore its international image following the dispute with the West over its nuclear programme, regional policies and denying the Holocaust.
"The situation in the country is so critical that all factions should attend the elections for changing the status quo," Nasseri said.
According to press speculation, the RCH list of 30 seats for the capital Tehran, politically the main constituency, would be headed by former chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rowhani and also include former ministers of Khatami's cabinet.
Both Khatami and Rowhani have harshly criticized Ahmadinejad for pushing Iran towards international isolation with his uncompromising policies.
Ahmadinejad's opponents accuse him of favouring ideology over expertise and consider this as the main reason why eight of his cabinet members have resigned, including the oil minister, head of the planning and budget organization, central bank governor and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
According to economic experts Ahmadinejad has failed to implement his economic reforms in favour of low-income social classes and is held responsible for high inflation and astronomic real estate prices.
Iran reformists form coalition to end 'crisis'
by Hiedeh Farmani
AFP - Iranian reformists Friday announced a coalition inspired by ex-president Mohammad Khatami to win back parliament and save Iran from the "crisis" they said was created by his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The coalition brings together 21 moderate parties, including the allies of ex-presidents Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Ranfsanjani, to fight conservatives in the legislative elections on March 14, officials said.
"The country is in serious crisis. All parties agree that they should restore the parliament's position and curb the government's inexpert activities," spokesman Abdollah Naseri said.
Officials said the guiding light of the coalition was Khatami, president from 1997-2005, who in recent weeks has broken two years of virtual political silence to lambast Ahmadinejad in a series of speeches.
"Khatami was behind this coalition. He is one of the pillars of consolidating reformists for the next election," another spokesman, Morteza Haji, told the news conference.
The coalition includes the largest reformist party, Islamic Iran Participation Front, and the Executives of Construction Party, founded by ex-cabinet members from the 1989-1997 presidency of the pragmatic Rafsanjani.
It is also joined by Khatami's party, the Association of Combatant Clerics, and the Organisation of Islamic Revolution Mojahedeen, whose members served as key lawmakers in the previous parliament.
The other major pro-reform party, the National Confidence Party, headed by former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi, will have about 80 percent common candidates with the coalition, Naseri said.
Reformists, who had the majority in the previous parliament, are concerned about a repetition of the February 2004 polls, which suffered a low turnout and saw thousands of their candidates banned from standing by the conservative electoral watchdog, the Guardians Council.
"The Guardians Council cannot tighten the space in a way that a real competitive election does not take place," Haji said, referring to the powerful clerical body which vets all candidates running for public office.
He added that "Karroubi, Khatami and Rafsanjani are lobbying with high ranks of the Islamic republic to guarantee the health of the election and remind the council it is not to make decisions on behalf of people."
The reformist camp is banking on a high turnout, hoping that frustration with the government's economic policies will carry them to the March polls -- seen as crucial for the future political direction of the Islamic republic.
"The government has intensified most internal and international crises in the past two years because there is not a strong and watchful parliament," Naseri said.
"The back-breaking inflation is felt by people and will be a serious reason to vote," he said.
On March 14, reformists will be challenged by conservatives, who have formed a united front of their own, bringing together Ahmadinejad loyalists and major traditional conservative factions.
Following Khatami's 1997 presidential victory, reformists held a poweful position in Iranian politics before they started losing power to rival conservatives in 2002 in municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections.
They made a comeback in last year municipal polls, when they formed a similar coalition drawing up a unified list of candidates.
AFP - Iranian reformists Friday announced a coalition inspired by ex-president Mohammad Khatami to win back parliament and save Iran from the "crisis" they said was created by his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The coalition brings together 21 moderate parties, including the allies of ex-presidents Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Ranfsanjani, to fight conservatives in the legislative elections on March 14, officials said.
"The country is in serious crisis. All parties agree that they should restore the parliament's position and curb the government's inexpert activities," spokesman Abdollah Naseri said.
Officials said the guiding light of the coalition was Khatami, president from 1997-2005, who in recent weeks has broken two years of virtual political silence to lambast Ahmadinejad in a series of speeches.
"Khatami was behind this coalition. He is one of the pillars of consolidating reformists for the next election," another spokesman, Morteza Haji, told the news conference.
The coalition includes the largest reformist party, Islamic Iran Participation Front, and the Executives of Construction Party, founded by ex-cabinet members from the 1989-1997 presidency of the pragmatic Rafsanjani.
It is also joined by Khatami's party, the Association of Combatant Clerics, and the Organisation of Islamic Revolution Mojahedeen, whose members served as key lawmakers in the previous parliament.
The other major pro-reform party, the National Confidence Party, headed by former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi, will have about 80 percent common candidates with the coalition, Naseri said.
Reformists, who had the majority in the previous parliament, are concerned about a repetition of the February 2004 polls, which suffered a low turnout and saw thousands of their candidates banned from standing by the conservative electoral watchdog, the Guardians Council.
"The Guardians Council cannot tighten the space in a way that a real competitive election does not take place," Haji said, referring to the powerful clerical body which vets all candidates running for public office.
He added that "Karroubi, Khatami and Rafsanjani are lobbying with high ranks of the Islamic republic to guarantee the health of the election and remind the council it is not to make decisions on behalf of people."
The reformist camp is banking on a high turnout, hoping that frustration with the government's economic policies will carry them to the March polls -- seen as crucial for the future political direction of the Islamic republic.
"The government has intensified most internal and international crises in the past two years because there is not a strong and watchful parliament," Naseri said.
"The back-breaking inflation is felt by people and will be a serious reason to vote," he said.
On March 14, reformists will be challenged by conservatives, who have formed a united front of their own, bringing together Ahmadinejad loyalists and major traditional conservative factions.
Following Khatami's 1997 presidential victory, reformists held a poweful position in Iranian politics before they started losing power to rival conservatives in 2002 in municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections.
They made a comeback in last year municipal polls, when they formed a similar coalition drawing up a unified list of candidates.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Khatami Attacks Hard Liners On All Fronts
As the authorities stepped up crackdowns on students and political dissidents, a former popular president entered the ring and single handedly, attacked the hard liners, both civilians and clerics, on all fronts.
Iran Press Service - As the authorities stepped up crackdowns on students and political dissidents, a former popular president entered the ring and single handedly, attacked the hard liners, both civilians and clerics, on all fronts.
Speaking at the Technical Faculty of Tehran University on Tuesday 11 December, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami told cheering students that “everywhere in the world, universities and students are the front row of struggle for democracy and freedom. Iranian universities and students are no different”, he said.
As Mr. Khatami was addressing the students, the authorities confirmed the arrest of at least 24 students on charges of “seeking to disturb public order”.
The atmosphere of the auditorium where Mr. Khatami was speaking to students was in sharp contrast with the one that, a month ago, received the fanatic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with shouts of “down with dictators” and “university is a bastion, Khatami is a defender” or “political prisoners must be freed”.
In his speech, cut several times with warm applauses, Mr. Khatami openly condemned the arrest of students and political dissidents, the new decisions by the Council of Guardians concerning the vetting of candidates, declarations of a senior hard line cleric stating that universities are “not Islamic enough” as well as slanders against Mr. Mohammad Hoseyn Moussavian, a diplomat and a former high-ranking nuclear negotiator.
As the former moderate president was addressing the students, the authorities confirmed the arrest of at least 24 students on charges of “seeking to disturb public order”. The intelligence Ministry had confirmed the arrest of “several” individuals it described as “fake students trying to organize illegal demonstrations at Tehran University”.
In fact, most Iranian universities had been the theatre of violent anti Government, anti Ahmadinejad in the past weeks, including a big protest rally that called for the “immediate and unconditional release of the jailed students”.
“Nobody should be arrested because of not sharing the ideas and policies of the governing bodies”, Mr. Khatami, a middle rank cleric said, referring to the arrest of students, women activists and intellectual dissidents, saying “ideas must be fought with counter ideas, not with repression”.
Former president Mohammad Khatami criticised the Goveernment for arresting students and dissidents. Under his eight years of presidency from 1997 to 2005, Iran got back his place in the international community, Iranians of outside reconciled with those inside, world leaders, including the most influential and important of them, queued to invite him, Iranians, most women and youngsters, enjoyed more, even if limited freedom and the press flourished.
However, his presidency was tarnished by the savage crackdown of students in 18 July 1999, in the one hand and the massive shut down of the press on the other, both ordered by Ayatollah Ali Khamenehei, the leader of the Islamic Republic.
Turning to the recent declaration of Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Council of the Guardians, the body that wets all candidates at all elections in the Islamic Republic, that “the first and foremost condition for anyone wishing to be elected is his total abiding to the principles of the Islamic Revolution and the absolute Leadership (of Mr. Khamenehi, who names the six clerics of the 12 members Council), Mr. Khatami said: “who has the right to decide instead of the people? Who says that only 12 people have the right to say who can be eligible (for elections) or not? It is to the people to choose those whom they consider as the best. The most important principle for eligibility must be the confidence of the people on those they vote for”.
In the last parliament elections, the Council, dominated by hard liners, rejected the majority of the reformist candidates, paving the way for the Majles being again controlled by eh conservatives.
He then sharply criticized Government’s police repression on the people under the pretext of “securing and safeguarding social order”. Since the measure was introduced last summer, not only hundreds of people, mostly young girls and boys have been arrest for not wearing decent Islamic dress or not behaving “Islamic way”, but also many shops selling female lingeries, hair dressers accused of giving young boys western style haircuts etc have been shut down.
Who says that only 12 people have the right to say who can be eligible (for elections) or not? It is to the people to choose those whom they consider as the best.
“Insulting and humiliating people, mostly women and young ones in the public can not be considered an Islamic behavior”, Mr. Khatami noted.
To the question of a student asking what he thinks of Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah Yazdi’s saying the universities are not Islamic enough, Mr. Khatami immediately responded “it is nonsense. They don’t know what they are taking”, but added statically “nevertheless, though a minority, their knives cut much better than ours, in the majority”.
The hard line cleric is considered as being the mentor of both Khamenehi and Ahmadinejad.
Khatami did not hesitate to criticie the present President and his supporters accusing Mr. Mousavian of espionage, saying: “Mr. Moussavian, like Mr. Cyrus Naseri and Mr. Mohammad Javad Zarif are valiant patriots who served their nation. They do not deserve to be treated as they have been”.
Mr. Zarif was Iran’s ambassador at the UN and Mr. Naseri another senior nuclear negotiator with Mr Moussavian. He also was accused of bribe-taking. Charges not proved.
[In an interview with the daily Jame Jam, published by the Leader-controlled, State-owned Radio and Television, Mr. Hassan Rohani, former coordinator of the nuclear negotiations called on the President to “repent and ask pardon” because of the accusations he made against Mr. Moussavian.
“The saga of Mr. Moussavian is over. There is no more need for explanations, for now everyone has understood what was the story, what was behind it, where the pressures were coming. It is better for Mr. Ahmadnijejad to repent (for the charges of espionage brought against the former nuclear negotiator), he added].
“After such frontal attacks at the very hearts of three main hard line bastions by Khatami, one must expect ultras heavy counter attack against him”, commented Mr. Hoseyn Bastani, one of the editors of the independent internet newspaper “Rooz”
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Mohammad Khatami at Tehran University
Ex-president in Iran plugs democracy
AP: A popular former president has accused hard-line clerics of blocking progress in Iran by disqualifying reformists from parliament elections and suppressing student voices.In comments published Wednesday, Mohammad Khatami, the president until 2005, was quoted as telling students at Tehran University that such extremists harm democracy. His remarks were the latest in a wave of criticism of the hard-line bloc of his successor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"What right do some have to make decisions on behalf of the people and disqualify those trusted by the people on the grounds that their eligibility was not approved by six or 12 individuals," Khatami was quoted as saying by the daily newspaper Hambastegi, or Solidarity.
Khatami referred to decisions made by hard-line clerics on the Guardian Council, the country's constitutional watchdog, and its powerful head, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati. The council's 12 members include six clerics hand-picked by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Khamenei has final say on all state matters and is commander in chief of the armed forces. Hard-liners consider him to be answerable only to God.
Jannati, a key ally of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, this week reiterated warnings that any candidate disloyal to the principles of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution would be barred from parliamentary elections in March.
In 2004, the council prohibited thousands of reformists from running in the elections, resulting in the hard-liners' takeover of the parliament.
"How long can we ignore the people and claim that a majority of the citizens are wrong and only" those sitting on the council are right? Khatami asked.
Khatami said jailing students would harm democracy."Taking students to jail is not in the interests of the system. Expressing one's views should not involve such costs. This is the first condition of democracy," Khatami was quoted as saying by the reformist daily Aftab-e-Yazd.
Khatami won a landslide victory in 1997 on the promise of promoting political and social freedom. He was re-elected in 2001. His stint in office saw a significant expansion of social freedoms.
But while Khatami had support from reformist-dominated parliament at the time, hard-liners who dominated the powerful government agencies prevented him from instituting any lasting changes.A bloody attack in July 1999 by Islamic vigilantes and security forces against students protesting media restrictions at the university was "the most bitter event" of his tenure as president, Khatami said. One person was killed and at least 20 others injured in the raid.
Khatami, who was hugely popular, had introduced two key reform bills to expand presidential powers and limit the authority of unelected hard-line bodies, including the Guardian Council. But in 2004, he abandoned the bills and conceded defeat in his long struggle to change a system stacked in favor of hard-line Islamic clerics.
With the accession of Ahmadinejad, conservatives once more took a decisive upper hand, though recently some voices have risen in opposition to his policies.
Khatami: Despite all the obstacles, the university is alive!
Herald Tribune and (AFP) report: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies were attacked Tuesday at Tehran's major university in an unusual speech by his predecessor, who warned that political suppression, questionable economic policies and defiance on the nuclear issue were leading Iranians in the wrong direction.
The speech, by Mohammad Khatami, attracted more than 1,500 students at Tehran University, which has been a center of vocal protest against Ahmadinejad, who was elected in 2005.
Khatami's criticism of Ahmadinejad has long been known. But his public denunciation of Ahmadinejad's policies was unusual because of its high visibility at a site of youthful dissent.
Khatami condemned the political and social crackdown against activists since Ahmadinejad's election and criticized the president's plans for strengthening Iran's economy, the ISNA news agency reported.
In what appeared to be a comparison with the current suppression of students, Khatami talked about how the crackdown on student activists before the 1979 Islamic revolution radicalized the students and led to the overthrow of the shah. "There was a time that I remember Islamic and non-Islamic movements turned to behaviors that had high costs for society and the regime," he said.
In another part of his speech, referring to the jailing of more than 30 students in recent months, he said, "Dealing with students in such a manner is not good for society or the regime."
About 1,500 students at Tehran University demonstrated against Ahmadinejad on Sunday. Students also protested in September when Ahmadinejad made an appearance at the university.
Khatami said Ahmadinejad's economic policies were overly focused on small development projects in rural areas and that it was not "right to reduce justice to economic justice."
"The wealth of the country should add to the wealth and power of the country and then distribute it," he said.
"We need to fight for economic justice but what is more important is the right of people to decide their own fate. These are the reforms that the people want," said Khatami.
Witnesses said crowds of people unable to find places gathered outside and the students shouted slogans in favor of Khatami.
The speech carried huge symbolic resonance as it was at Tehran University in December 2004 the then president Khatami was famously heckled by students frustrated by the lack of reform.
Khatami was elected on a wave of popular enthusiasm from young people and women for reform in Iran but many supporters became disgruntled when opposition by powerful hardliners torpedoed his plans for change.
Yet the charismatic mid-ranking cleric remains a popular figure amongst many Iranians, despite the acknowledged failings of his rule.
"Despite all the obstacles, the university is alive," added Khatami.
The speech, by Mohammad Khatami, attracted more than 1,500 students at Tehran University, which has been a center of vocal protest against Ahmadinejad, who was elected in 2005.
Khatami's criticism of Ahmadinejad has long been known. But his public denunciation of Ahmadinejad's policies was unusual because of its high visibility at a site of youthful dissent.
Khatami condemned the political and social crackdown against activists since Ahmadinejad's election and criticized the president's plans for strengthening Iran's economy, the ISNA news agency reported.
In what appeared to be a comparison with the current suppression of students, Khatami talked about how the crackdown on student activists before the 1979 Islamic revolution radicalized the students and led to the overthrow of the shah. "There was a time that I remember Islamic and non-Islamic movements turned to behaviors that had high costs for society and the regime," he said.
In another part of his speech, referring to the jailing of more than 30 students in recent months, he said, "Dealing with students in such a manner is not good for society or the regime."
About 1,500 students at Tehran University demonstrated against Ahmadinejad on Sunday. Students also protested in September when Ahmadinejad made an appearance at the university.
Khatami said Ahmadinejad's economic policies were overly focused on small development projects in rural areas and that it was not "right to reduce justice to economic justice."
"The wealth of the country should add to the wealth and power of the country and then distribute it," he said.
"We need to fight for economic justice but what is more important is the right of people to decide their own fate. These are the reforms that the people want," said Khatami.
Witnesses said crowds of people unable to find places gathered outside and the students shouted slogans in favor of Khatami.
The speech carried huge symbolic resonance as it was at Tehran University in December 2004 the then president Khatami was famously heckled by students frustrated by the lack of reform.
Khatami was elected on a wave of popular enthusiasm from young people and women for reform in Iran but many supporters became disgruntled when opposition by powerful hardliners torpedoed his plans for change.
Yet the charismatic mid-ranking cleric remains a popular figure amongst many Iranians, despite the acknowledged failings of his rule.
"Despite all the obstacles, the university is alive," added Khatami.
Friday, December 07, 2007
President Calderon welcomes Khatami in effort to bypass confrontational West
WorldNetDaily.com: Mexican President Felipe Calderon welcomed former Iranian President Mohamed Khatami to Mexico City In a little notice meeting reflecting growing ties between South America and the Islamic world, Mexican President Felipe Calderon welcomed former Iranian President Mohamed Khatami to Mexico City. The two leaders met Wednesday at Los Pinos, Mexico's official presidential residence, to discuss deepening cultural bonds with the Islamic world in the face of Western notions of a "clash of civilizations.
The visit drew virtually no mention in the press outside of Mexico, even in Iran.
Khatami came at the invitation of the International Center for Dialogue between Civilizations, established in 2006 at the Colegio de San Luis in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi.
A notice on the Colegio de San Luis website said Khatami spoke at the center to oppose the main thesis of Harvard University professor Samuel Huntington's seminal 1996 book "The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order."
In his speech, Khatami proclaimed a "Dialogue among Civilizations," a theme echoing a 2001 U.N. declaration.
Similarly, a statement by Calderon emphasized, in diplomatic language, that Khatami was promoting an exchange of opinions "concerning the roads available to promote peaceful co-existence among natures and cultures."
The Mexican newspaper La Jornada echoed the presidential statement: "The government of Mexico shares the conviction that dialogue and negotiation should be promoted as the preferred means to advance agreements."
The radical leftist La Voz de Aztlan in Los Angeles characterized the Khatami-Calderon meeting as "part of a growing alliance between Mexico, South America and Islam."
La Voz de Aztlan also noted, "President Calderon has been worried about the growing racist hostility against Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the USA."
The online publication said the visit "may signal the beginning of a new international alignment that may bring into reality what Patrick Buchanan wrote in his new book, 'Day of Reckoning.'"
The International Center for Dialogue between Civilizations was opened in 2006 by Islamic Dawa of Chauen, a militant Shiite Islamic group originally formed in Iraq, and the radical Junta Islamica of Spain.
Chauen is a city in the Mexican province of Marruecos with historic ties to the Berbers in Morocco. The Junta Islamica derives from the descendents of the Moriscos, the Spanish Muslims expelled from Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a group noted for aggressively promoting the rights of Hispanic immigrants, characterizes the Nation of Aztlan, publisher of La Voz de Aztlan, as a "tiny Chicano group that pushes racism and homophobia."
Aztlan is the name for the mythical place of origin of the Aztec people. In the politics of Hispanic immigration, Aztlan has come to represent the part of the southwestern United States, including a large part of California, sought by the Reconquista movement for Mexico.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Khatami rallies Iran reformists
The Financial Times: At a main crossroads in the holy city of Mashhad a blue hoarding welcomes Mohammad Khatami, Iran's former reformist president, as the "national pride".However, on the eve of Mr Khatami's rally, the centrepiece of a three-day visit to Iran's second-biggest city designed to build support before parliamentary elections in March, his political opponents cut the electricity supply, plunging his image into gloom - which is where his opponents would like the former president to stay.
The incident illustrates the intense battle already under way ahead of the March polls. Mr Khatami has become a figurehead for reformist campaigners and has suffered the ire of fundamentalist critics - supporters of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad included.
Despite the billboard failure, and limited publicity in the local media, Mr Khatami is welcomed by about 10,000 supporters in a sports hall in Mashhad, most of whom are under 30 years of age. "Death to the dictator, hello to Khatami," they chant.
"If a group resorts to force . . . and deceit . . . their ruling is not [religiously] legitimate," Mr Khatami says, using language far less moderate than he would normally. He is referring to allegations that Mr AhmadiNejad enjoyed the support of the revolutionary guards, the elite military force, for his presidential victory in 2005. "The worst corruption is not to let people cast their votes freely."
Hundreds of emboldened protesters leave the hall and file out on to the streets. "Incompetent government! Resign!" they chant.
As they face riot police, the slogans change to: "Bullets, tanks and basijis [ideologically motivated militias] are no more frightening!" The protest breaks up with no arrests.
Mr Khatami has taken a lead role in co-ordinating reformist factions to help form a joint candidate list for the elections to the 290-seat parliament. While in Mashhad, home to 3m people, he held meetings with his former officials, behaving almost like the head of a shadow government.
In the absence of effective parties, two camps - one reformist, the other fundamentalist - have been trying to attract the support of different political groups to consolidate their votes and ensure that they put up unified fronts.
A big concern for the reformists is whether their candidates - who will begin registering for the elections in early January - will be disqualified, as some 2,000 were at the last parliamentary polls in 2004. The interior ministry and the Guardian Council, the constitutional watchdog, will vet candidates for loyalty to the constitution and to Islam.
The long process, which can leave candidates waiting until a week before polling day before they know if they can stand, has made planning difficult for reformists.
Mohammad-Sadegh Javadi-Hesar, a senior reformist, says: "About 50 per cent of our concern is about disqualifications and 25 per cent about the health of elections. This means we have to rely only on a quarter of our potential [candidates]."
"Some members of the Guardian Council and government see elimination of reformist thoughts [as] a religious duty, like praying," says one reformist.
"Our reliance is on the supreme leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei], who we hope will intervene to stop -radicals."
The greatest threat to the fundamentalists is not the qualification process but the criticism that the government has failed to curb high inflation and rising un-employment, as promised.
Analysts, anecdotally, say Mr Ahmadi-Nejad is losing public support because of rising prices, but they admit that floating voters may return to him if he offers new attractive promises.
The president's highprofile provincial trips, criss-crossing the country offering to fund cheap loans, have been the cornerstone of his populist approach.
"The president gives money, toys and bicycles to low-income people the way caliphs were behaving centuries ago," says Naser Amoli, a reformist. "This lets the government buy the recipients' votes and buy time from others who hope to get the same later."
The fundamentalists admit that reformist opponents offer a bigger challenge than four years ago, when, paradoxically, Mr Khatami was president. Javad Arian-Manesh, a fundamentalist parliamentarian from Mashhad, predicts they will win "a strong minority" but insists the fundamentalists will retain control - albeit weaker than the current 80 per cent.
Absent from the election campaign is any discussion ofinternational tensions over Iran's nuclear programme. Analysts say the subject is just too sensitive and not a daily concern for people worried about rising prices and unemployment.
But Gholam-Hossein El-ham, a government spokesman, issued a pre-election warning: "The enemy sees elections as the way for its 'soft activities'," Mr Elham told election officials. "The enemy's soft war should be foiled, a main part of which is on your shoulders."
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