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The New York Times
October 23, 2007
Iran's Amhadinejad Criticized at Home
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:50 a.m. ET
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cut short a
two-day visit to Armenia to return home Tuesday, an Armenian spokesman
said, at a time when the Iranian leader's has come under criticism
even by fellow conservatives for his replacement of the top nuclear
negotiator.
It was not known if the interruption of the visit was linked to the
controversy. Ahmadinejad may have sought to avoid angering Turkey by
visiting a genocide memorial in Armenia.
The Iranian president told Armenian President Robert Kocharian late
Monday that he needed to skip Tuesday's planned events because of
unexpected developments in Iran that needed immediate attention,
Armenian presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said. The spokesman
gave no details.
Landing in Tehran on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad insisted the trip was not
cut short, saying it had been scheduled to last 22 hours and in fact
went 90 minutes over. He called the visit ''good.''
While the president was in Armenia a day earlier, he was facing
increasing criticism at home over the surprise resignation of top
nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who was replaced by a close
Ahmadinejad loyalist.
The resignation over the weekend has been widely interpreted as a
victory for Ahmadinejad because it could lead Iran to take an even
tougher stance in ongoing nuclear talks with the West. Though a
conservative, Larijani was considered more moderate than Ahmadinejad
within Iran's hardline camp, and the two men had previously clashed on
how to approach the talks.
But Larijani's removal could further undermine Ahmadinejad in Iran.
While the Iranian president has drawn tremendous worldwide attention
for his fiery rhetoric, he faces criticism at home, including from
past supporters, who say he has failed to improve Iran's economy and
unnecessarily worsened the standoff with the West. Even some in top
echelons of the clerical leadership headed by Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have expressed concern.
On Monday, 183 lawmakers, most of them conservatives, passed a measure
praising Larijani's performance as nuclear negotiator, a clear sign of
displeasure with his departure. A parliamentary group wrote a letter
of complaint to Ahmadinejad for failing to inform them of the
resignation in advance or consult with them on Larijani's successor.
Saeed Jalili, a little-known deputy foreign minister for European and
American affairs considered loyal to Ahmadinejad, is the new
negotiator. He, along with Larijani, is due to talk about the nuclear
program with the European Union's foreign policy chief Tuesday in
Rome.
Conservative lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh criticized the
changes, saying ''the calamity of repeated dismissals and replacements
has become a policy in this government, a move that not only has not
brought any improvements but also has damaged progress both in the
domestic and foreign arenas.''
The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear
weapons. The United Nations has already imposed two rounds of limited
sanctions over Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment, and Washington is
pressing for a third. Oil-rich Iran says its program is for peaceful
purposes including generating electricity.
Larijani backed Iran's uranium enrichment program, but favored
diplomacy to resolve the standoff. He negotiated a deal with the U.N.
nuclear watchdog agency to explain outstanding questions over the
nuclear program.
On the other hand, Ahmadinejad has vowed not to suspend uranium
enrichment even for a single minute and not give up ''one iota'' of
the right to enrich uranium, a technology that can be used to produce
nuclear fuel or materials for a bomb.
Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a prominent conservative and Ahmadinejad
supporter, praised Larijani as an ''outstanding figure,'' in an
indirect criticism of the president, and suggested Ahmadinejad had
pushed him out.
''Larijani had almost reached a deadlock in working with the
president. Both of them had come to the conclusion that they could not
work together,'' several newspapers quoted Bahonar as saying.
According to Bahonar, Larijani had tendered his resignation three
times in the past but Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation the fourth
time after Larijani's insistence.
The move also adds to questions over how much support Ahmadinejad has
>From Khamenei. Larijani reported directly to Khamenei, who has final
say in all state issues, and his replacement could not have occurred
without Khamenei's consent.
But that consent may not necessarily be a sign of the supreme leader's
backing for Ahmadinejad.
Some observers said Khamenei, who has been silent over the changes,
may be giving the president more leeway on the nuclear dossier to be
in a better position to reel him in if his policies lead to a new
round of U.N. sanctions.
''Larijani's replacement leaves no pretext for Ahmadinejad to justify
his failures in the future. His failures, despite being given a free
hand, will only facilitate his humiliating exit from Iranian
politics,'' political analyst Hamid Reza Shokouhi said.
Ahmadinejad was elected on a populist agenda in 2005, promising to
bring oil revenues to every family, eradicate poverty and tackle
unemployment.
But under his rule, Iran has seen dramatic price increases in housing
and basic commodities, fueling criticism of the president. Inflation
further worsened after a 25 percent hike in fuel prices in May. Some
protesters burned down gas stations in June when fuel rationing was
imposed.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iran-Nucl ear-Ahmadinejad.html
October 23, 2007
Iran's Amhadinejad Criticized at Home
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:50 a.m. ET
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cut short a
two-day visit to Armenia to return home Tuesday, an Armenian spokesman
said, at a time when the Iranian leader's has come under criticism
even by fellow conservatives for his replacement of the top nuclear
negotiator.
It was not known if the interruption of the visit was linked to the
controversy. Ahmadinejad may have sought to avoid angering Turkey by
visiting a genocide memorial in Armenia.
The Iranian president told Armenian President Robert Kocharian late
Monday that he needed to skip Tuesday's planned events because of
unexpected developments in Iran that needed immediate attention,
Armenian presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said. The spokesman
gave no details.
Landing in Tehran on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad insisted the trip was not
cut short, saying it had been scheduled to last 22 hours and in fact
went 90 minutes over. He called the visit ''good.''
While the president was in Armenia a day earlier, he was facing
increasing criticism at home over the surprise resignation of top
nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who was replaced by a close
Ahmadinejad loyalist.
The resignation over the weekend has been widely interpreted as a
victory for Ahmadinejad because it could lead Iran to take an even
tougher stance in ongoing nuclear talks with the West. Though a
conservative, Larijani was considered more moderate than Ahmadinejad
within Iran's hardline camp, and the two men had previously clashed on
how to approach the talks.
But Larijani's removal could further undermine Ahmadinejad in Iran.
While the Iranian president has drawn tremendous worldwide attention
for his fiery rhetoric, he faces criticism at home, including from
past supporters, who say he has failed to improve Iran's economy and
unnecessarily worsened the standoff with the West. Even some in top
echelons of the clerical leadership headed by Iran's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have expressed concern.
On Monday, 183 lawmakers, most of them conservatives, passed a measure
praising Larijani's performance as nuclear negotiator, a clear sign of
displeasure with his departure. A parliamentary group wrote a letter
of complaint to Ahmadinejad for failing to inform them of the
resignation in advance or consult with them on Larijani's successor.
Saeed Jalili, a little-known deputy foreign minister for European and
American affairs considered loyal to Ahmadinejad, is the new
negotiator. He, along with Larijani, is due to talk about the nuclear
program with the European Union's foreign policy chief Tuesday in
Rome.
Conservative lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh criticized the
changes, saying ''the calamity of repeated dismissals and replacements
has become a policy in this government, a move that not only has not
brought any improvements but also has damaged progress both in the
domestic and foreign arenas.''
The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear
weapons. The United Nations has already imposed two rounds of limited
sanctions over Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment, and Washington is
pressing for a third. Oil-rich Iran says its program is for peaceful
purposes including generating electricity.
Larijani backed Iran's uranium enrichment program, but favored
diplomacy to resolve the standoff. He negotiated a deal with the U.N.
nuclear watchdog agency to explain outstanding questions over the
nuclear program.
On the other hand, Ahmadinejad has vowed not to suspend uranium
enrichment even for a single minute and not give up ''one iota'' of
the right to enrich uranium, a technology that can be used to produce
nuclear fuel or materials for a bomb.
Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a prominent conservative and Ahmadinejad
supporter, praised Larijani as an ''outstanding figure,'' in an
indirect criticism of the president, and suggested Ahmadinejad had
pushed him out.
''Larijani had almost reached a deadlock in working with the
president. Both of them had come to the conclusion that they could not
work together,'' several newspapers quoted Bahonar as saying.
According to Bahonar, Larijani had tendered his resignation three
times in the past but Ahmadinejad accepted the resignation the fourth
time after Larijani's insistence.
The move also adds to questions over how much support Ahmadinejad has
>From Khamenei. Larijani reported directly to Khamenei, who has final
say in all state issues, and his replacement could not have occurred
without Khamenei's consent.
But that consent may not necessarily be a sign of the supreme leader's
backing for Ahmadinejad.
Some observers said Khamenei, who has been silent over the changes,
may be giving the president more leeway on the nuclear dossier to be
in a better position to reel him in if his policies lead to a new
round of U.N. sanctions.
''Larijani's replacement leaves no pretext for Ahmadinejad to justify
his failures in the future. His failures, despite being given a free
hand, will only facilitate his humiliating exit from Iranian
politics,'' political analyst Hamid Reza Shokouhi said.
Ahmadinejad was elected on a populist agenda in 2005, promising to
bring oil revenues to every family, eradicate poverty and tackle
unemployment.
But under his rule, Iran has seen dramatic price increases in housing
and basic commodities, fueling criticism of the president. Inflation
further worsened after a 25 percent hike in fuel prices in May. Some
protesters burned down gas stations in June when fuel rationing was
imposed.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Iran-Nucl ear-Ahmadinejad.html