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AHMADINEJAD DENIES RUMORS ON SPLIT WITH KHAMENEI
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 2, 2011 - 12:24 AMT
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended his first cabinet meeting
for more than a week, dismissing rumors of a damaging split with
the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports. Mr
Ahmadinejad's close relationship with the senior cleric, who has the
last word in the Islamic Republic's affairs, was strained two weeks
ago, according to some analysts.
The Supreme Leader had vetoed the President's attempt to sack his
intelligence minister. Since then, Mr Ahmadinejad has missed two
cabinet meetings, something some foreign analysts said was akin to
a boycott.
Speculation began to circulate that Mr Ahmadinejad no longer enjoyed
the unqualified support of Mr Khamenei, something the government
denied. Mr Khamenei had endorsed his re-election in June 2009 in a vote
the opposition said was rigged. The Tehran Stock Exchange lost 6 per
cent in value over the past three trading days due to the political
uncertainty, Reuters reports.
Without the Supreme Leader's support, any Iranian president risks
becoming a lame duck. Before the cabinet meeting, the head of the
national broadcaster IRIB, Ezatollah Zarghami, said Mr Ahmadinejad
would express his allegiance to Mr Khamenei: "His speech to the
cabinet ... will foil all the plots of the enemies of Islam and
the revolution."
From: A. Papazian
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 2, 2011 - 12:24 AMT
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended his first cabinet meeting
for more than a week, dismissing rumors of a damaging split with
the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to reports. Mr
Ahmadinejad's close relationship with the senior cleric, who has the
last word in the Islamic Republic's affairs, was strained two weeks
ago, according to some analysts.
The Supreme Leader had vetoed the President's attempt to sack his
intelligence minister. Since then, Mr Ahmadinejad has missed two
cabinet meetings, something some foreign analysts said was akin to
a boycott.
Speculation began to circulate that Mr Ahmadinejad no longer enjoyed
the unqualified support of Mr Khamenei, something the government
denied. Mr Khamenei had endorsed his re-election in June 2009 in a vote
the opposition said was rigged. The Tehran Stock Exchange lost 6 per
cent in value over the past three trading days due to the political
uncertainty, Reuters reports.
Without the Supreme Leader's support, any Iranian president risks
becoming a lame duck. Before the cabinet meeting, the head of the
national broadcaster IRIB, Ezatollah Zarghami, said Mr Ahmadinejad
would express his allegiance to Mr Khamenei: "His speech to the
cabinet ... will foil all the plots of the enemies of Islam and
the revolution."
From: A. Papazian