Khatami Warns Hard0liners in Iran New Year Message
Published:
21 March 2001 y., Wednesday
Iran's embattled President Mohammad Khatami warned his hard-line opponents Tuesday they faced an "ill-fated" future for ignoring popular demand for reforms.
In a pensive Iranian New Year address, interspersed with classical Persian poetry, Khatami described his four years in office as arduous -- in reference to his uphill battle against hard-liners to implement an Islamic democracy in Iran.
The president is nearing the end of his term, but is yet to announce his intention to seek re-election in June polls.
"Our people demand security along with freedom, pluralism along with piety," Khatami said.
Hard-liners, who dominate the armed forces and security services as well as the judiciary, have all but suppressed Khatami's social and political reforms, launched after his 1997landslide election.
Many reformist activists, including top allies of the president, have been imprisoned and dozens of independent newspapers have been banned.
Šaltinis:
dailynews.netscape.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
The fate of blue fin tuna hangs in the balance this week as a complete ban on the trade is debated by MEPs.
more »
A $100 million pledge from the Government of Japan has helped to secure the funding base and launch the operational phase of two new climate programs supporting forest management and renewable energy investments in developing countries.
more »
Europeans quite happy with their personal situation, but less satisfied with economic and social climate in their country.
more »
Spain wishes to “make as much progress as possible” to ensure the EU becomes party to the Council of Europe's Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms soon, according to the Spanish Minister for Justice, Francisco Caamaño, at today's opening of a seminar on the challenges and possibilities arising from the Treaty of Lisbon coming into force.
more »
According to Belarusian tradition, a stork brings good fortune to the village it settles in while in western culture the stork is commonly associated with childbirth.
more »
The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project.
more »
The Spanish Health and Social Policy Minister, Trinidad Jiménez, and the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Vladimir Spidla, addressed the press in Madrid on the launch of the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010.
more »
The European Commission and the Spanish Presidency of the EU will tomorrow launch the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
more »
Smoking at a restaurant like this one in Spain could soon be a thing of the past. Spanish lawmakers want to stub out the habit in public places like bars and restaurants. But it's an unpopular proposal in a country where around 30 percent of the population smoke.
more »
As President of the European Economic and Social Committee, I would like, on behalf of all the Committee's members, to express my sympathy to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
more »