Khatami slams Ahmadinejad policies

Sun, 14 Sep 2008

Iran's former president Seyyed Mohammad Khatami has criticized Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration for its 'aggressive policies'.

In an address in the southwestern Iranian province of Khuzestan, Khatami said the foreign policy of his reformist administration that extended from 1997 to 2005 served the interests of the Iranian nation. Khatami added that the 'aggressive' policies of the current administration provide grounds for the enemy to justify its acts against the country. "Aggressive and blistering rhetoric plays into the hands of the enemy, harming the country and the system," Kargozaran newspaper quoted Khatami as saying.

Khatami said the best way to fight global hegemony is to make efforts to achieve full independence and a strong economy and to earn global respect for the country and the nation. There is widespread speculation that Khatami may run for president in 2009. However, the former Iranian president is yet to announce his final decision on the issue. The former Iranian president also accused the administration of President Ahmadinejad of 'presenting wrong statistics' regarding its economic achievements over the past three years. Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an aid to Khatami, earlier announced that the Reformist Party plans to announce 'correct statistics'.

Khatami's criticism came after Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rowhani, a representative of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Supreme National Security Council, who is also expected to run for presidency, criticized president Ahmadinejad, saying he had failed to 'make use of golden opportunities'. "Over the past three years, oil prices have skyrocketed to unimaginable levels," he said. Rowhani explained that President Ahmadinejad had promised to achieve various objectives even if oil prices were to stay fixed at USD 25 per barrel. Following Rowhani's critical remarks, Masoud Zaribafan, an advisor to Ahmadinejad, responded by saying that such remarks are only intended to promote election objectives. Iran's 10th presidential election is scheduled to take place in June 12, 2009. Press TV