REZA’I ENTERS PRESIDENTIAL RACE ON TOES, FROM BACK DOOR - ANALYSTS
TEHRAN 28 Apr. (IPS) The last letter written by former Commander of the Revolutionary Guards to the embattled President Mohammad Khatami has been commented by Iranian political analysts as a disguised way of announcing his candidacy to the next presidential elections due on 8 June.
With the crucial race looming in five weeks and Mr. Khatami keeping the nation waiting for his decision, Mr. Mohsen Reza’i, now the Secretary of the Expediency Council, has repeated his criticism of the outgoing President's four-year record in office, telling him that if he decide to keep the office, he must change both course and programs.
Observers said mindful of the humiliating defeat both he and his boss, Mr. Hashemi-Rafsanjani, suffered at the February Majles elections in the one hand and the state of hesitation due to Mr. Khatami’s, indecision, Mr. Reza’i, pushed by the conservatives, instead of officially announcing his candidacy, is entering the presidential race "on the tows and from the back door", by publishing letters and giving speeches critical of Mr. Khatami.
Conservative opponents of Mr. Khatami accuses him to keep the nation in a state of suspension in order to gain more votes, as, they say, abandoned by many voters, particularly the young ones, Mr Khatami fears a big run down of popularity compared with four years ago, when he got more than 20 millions votes.
In an open letter reproduced by the official news agency IRNA, Mr. Reza’i warns Mr. Khatami "the more clear cut, popular, (islamic) valued projects and programs you present, the closer we would move to you, but if you distance yourself from the people, presenting same old projects, we would take our distance from you".
In other part of the letter, he criticise Mr. Khatami’s ministers and collaborators for presenting false and exaggerated statistics concerning their achievement, including inflation and unemployment rates and shed doubts on the conduct of foreign policy, especially concerning Iraq.
For instance, he strongly objects to the visit, last year, of Iranian Foreign Minister to Baghdad, saying the wrong timed trip made the Iraqis more arrogant and then criticise Khatami’s government for having done nothing to get war compensations from Iraq.
But observers blame Mr. Khatami’s predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, now Mr. Reza’is boss at the Expediency Council, for having failed to secure the claims, estimated at 1000 billions US Dollars by the Iranians and some 150 billions by independent experts.
Reza’i also criticised Khatami for not well appreciating the recent attack by Iranian revolutionary guards who fired over 50 missiles on the Iraq-based and financed Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO).
"Simultaneous launch of over 50 missiles to the MKO's bases along the (eastern) borders is expressive of the military power of the Islamic Republic", he said, describing the act as "great and unprecedented".
Reza’i criticised the reformist press, lawmakers and personalities for attacking the leader-led Judiciary over the arrest of islamist-nationalists and members of Iran Freedom Movement (IFM), some of them over 80, repeating charges that the detainees were plotting against the Islamic Republic.
Reformists have denounced the arrests as part of a plan by Khatami's detractors to create political tension in the society and mar the June presidential elections for which President Khatami has yet to announce his intention for a second term.
"Several newspapers, self-proclaimed to support you, have initiated a smear campaign and are fanning the political tension in the society by publishing false news," Reza’i said in the letter, keeping silence on the "bundle closure" of some 40 publications, most of them independent and pro-reforms, and the jailing of a dozen of reformist editors and journalists.
In an earlier interview with IRNA carried Mid-March, Reza’i had said that President Khatami should not run for re-election in June in order to preserve his popularity.
"Khatami, who has brought Iran some major gains, would be well-advised to retire in order to preserve his good image and his name in the history of our country", he told IRNA.
He said the president "has to end his silence, or his indecision, and announce whether he will be a candidate or not". ENDS REZA’I ELECTIONS 28401