Winehole23
06-22-2009, 12:19 AM
Rafsanjani ally calls for ‘political bloc’ (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd1d7dce-5e95-11de-91ad-00144feabdc0.html?ftcamp=rss)
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Roula Khalaf in Tehran
Published: June 21 2009 23:32 | Last updated: June 21 2009 23:32
A political party affiliated with Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the former president and key member of the Iranian regime, on Sunday called on Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader, to form a “political bloc” that would pursue a long-term campaign to undermine the “illegitimate” government.
Hossein Marashi, spokesman for the Kargozaran, stayed clear of directly challenging the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but told the Financial Times in a telephone interview that Mr Moussavi was now the leader of an opposition that was not without options.
His comments suggest that some in the opposition are looking at future strategies as they seek to capitalise on an extraordinarily passionate street movement but realise the regime is determined not to respond to protesters’ demands for an annulment of the results of the June 12 presidential poll, which declared Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad the winner.
“With the lack of legitimacy of the Ahmadi-Nejad government, sooner or later the country’s management will face various crises,” he said. “Mr Moussavi should set up an official political front which can embrace the defenders of the real Islamic republic . . . against those who are distorting it and are represented by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad.”
Mr Marashi said the front was his own proposal but that it was “most likely” to be adopted, even as the opposition continues to demand a rerun of the vote. Mr Rafsanjani, he said, would be able to help such a front from his “legal and political positions”.
Mr Marashi spoke after four of Mr Rafsanjani’s relatives were arrested during protests that turned bloody on Saturday. The opposition had defied warnings from Ayatollah Khamenei, who had also backed the outcome of the election in a speech on Friday.
Three of the relatives were released but Mr Rafsanjani’s most outspoken daughter, Faezeh, was still being interrogated on Sunday. Fars news agency insisted the detentions had been made to safeguard the women’s safety.
State television said that 10 people were killed in Saturday’s violence in Tehran, blaming the deaths on “armed terrorist elements”. Mr Moussavi, however, laid responsibility for the violence on the government and insisted that street protests should be pursued.
Adding to the tension, footage on the Facebook networking site showed a young woman supporter of Mr Moussavi being shot in the chest during the Saturday protests. The graphic footage, which was widely viewed, showed the woman dying in front of her father who desperately tried to save her.
Tehran was quiet on Sunday, but tensions remained high. Mohammad Khatami, the former reformist president, who has backed Mr Moussavi, warned that “preventing people from expressing their demands through civil ways will have dangerous consequences [for the country]”.
Mr Marashi said he doubted people were tiring of the demonstrations and predicted that they would find “new ways” to protest. “I must admit they are ahead of politicians and we are behind them,” he said.
But he said that was one reason that Mr Moussavi now had to lead by gathering all those in the opposition under one front.
Mr Moussavi, he added, was “not the leader of the opposition to the system. He is the leader of a majority who think their rights are trampled on by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad and the Guardian Council.”
By Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Roula Khalaf in Tehran
Published: June 21 2009 23:32 | Last updated: June 21 2009 23:32
A political party affiliated with Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, the former president and key member of the Iranian regime, on Sunday called on Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader, to form a “political bloc” that would pursue a long-term campaign to undermine the “illegitimate” government.
Hossein Marashi, spokesman for the Kargozaran, stayed clear of directly challenging the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but told the Financial Times in a telephone interview that Mr Moussavi was now the leader of an opposition that was not without options.
His comments suggest that some in the opposition are looking at future strategies as they seek to capitalise on an extraordinarily passionate street movement but realise the regime is determined not to respond to protesters’ demands for an annulment of the results of the June 12 presidential poll, which declared Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad the winner.
“With the lack of legitimacy of the Ahmadi-Nejad government, sooner or later the country’s management will face various crises,” he said. “Mr Moussavi should set up an official political front which can embrace the defenders of the real Islamic republic . . . against those who are distorting it and are represented by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad.”
Mr Marashi said the front was his own proposal but that it was “most likely” to be adopted, even as the opposition continues to demand a rerun of the vote. Mr Rafsanjani, he said, would be able to help such a front from his “legal and political positions”.
Mr Marashi spoke after four of Mr Rafsanjani’s relatives were arrested during protests that turned bloody on Saturday. The opposition had defied warnings from Ayatollah Khamenei, who had also backed the outcome of the election in a speech on Friday.
Three of the relatives were released but Mr Rafsanjani’s most outspoken daughter, Faezeh, was still being interrogated on Sunday. Fars news agency insisted the detentions had been made to safeguard the women’s safety.
State television said that 10 people were killed in Saturday’s violence in Tehran, blaming the deaths on “armed terrorist elements”. Mr Moussavi, however, laid responsibility for the violence on the government and insisted that street protests should be pursued.
Adding to the tension, footage on the Facebook networking site showed a young woman supporter of Mr Moussavi being shot in the chest during the Saturday protests. The graphic footage, which was widely viewed, showed the woman dying in front of her father who desperately tried to save her.
Tehran was quiet on Sunday, but tensions remained high. Mohammad Khatami, the former reformist president, who has backed Mr Moussavi, warned that “preventing people from expressing their demands through civil ways will have dangerous consequences [for the country]”.
Mr Marashi said he doubted people were tiring of the demonstrations and predicted that they would find “new ways” to protest. “I must admit they are ahead of politicians and we are behind them,” he said.
But he said that was one reason that Mr Moussavi now had to lead by gathering all those in the opposition under one front.
Mr Moussavi, he added, was “not the leader of the opposition to the system. He is the leader of a majority who think their rights are trampled on by Mr Ahmadi-Nejad and the Guardian Council.”