KHATAMI PROMISES TO KEEP ON WITH REFORMS
By a Special Correspondent
TEHRAN 29 May (IPS) Iranian President Mohammad Khatami promised Monday thousands of young supporters, many of them students, that he would continue to push with democratic reforms despite all hardships if re-elected next month.
"What we want is reform in all areas -- political, economic and social", Khatami said at the only scheduled rally of his campaign ahead of the June 8 elections, amid chants of "Khatami, Khatami, We Will Support You", or "Politic al Prisoner Must Be Freed".
"The road is long and there are many obstacles in our way", Khatami told a crowd estimated at some 50.000 to 60.000, waving Iranian flags and pictures and posters of the reformist president at Tehran's Shiroudi stadium.
At first, the leader-led Judiciary had rejected Mr. Khatami’s campaign manager to hold their meeting in this stadium, on the ground that the law forbids candidates using public materials and buildings for their campaign, but it backed off after it was found that pro-conservatives candidates had held used the same place.
The stadium was divided into men and women sections.
Speaking before him, Mr. Sa’id Hajjarian, the man considered as the "architect" of the reformists victories in the past four years, including that of Mr. Khatami, told a cheering crowd that if he votes for the reformist Khatami, it is "because I’m for openness, democracy, reforms and civil society".
Mr. Hajjarian escaped miraculously an assassination attempt against his life last year, a plot many believe that was the work of the conservatives.
"The reform movement has demanded many victims, including myself. It also has cost a lot to our people. It must preserved and to do it, one has to vote for Khatami", he added.
Khatami urged the Iranians not to re-elect him "for sentimental reasons," but because of their "vigilance for democracy and the dedication to reforms".
"There is no other solution than to establish and strengthen democracy in this country at its roots. The destiny of all peoples shows that democracy is the wish of everyone," the Iranian president added.
"They are talking about an inability to fulfil promises but it is your vote which is important. It is the victory of the people", Khatami said, responding to criticism by hard-line conservative opponents.
"Reform cannot be stopped", read a large placard mounted on stadium fencing. "By voting for Khatami, we will say yes to reforms".
Khatami, facing nine mostly conservative opponents, is a clear favourite to win, but some political analysts said they would not be surprised if his victory came in the second round.
"Nobody should be against the laws, or above them. What we want is a legal structure for everybody in this country. A democratic regime recognises its opposition. Civil institutions, the parliament, the political parties and the press must safeguard democracy," Khatami continued.
Many Iranians, particularly younger voters, are disenchanted with the slow pace of reform and question Khatami's ability to achieve more in a second term than he did in his first.
Khatami praised the country's youth as "this unwavering strength of our population, which has political demands, wants jobs, but also wants security and an atmosphere in which it can breathe."
He referred particularly to the situation of young women as being "the priority among priorities". "Generations of women have been oppressed over the centuries, and they are still are today.
"All this requires serious, organised efforts to sort out the problems of the young, and particularly those of young girls who come on to the labour market in greater and greater numbers," the Iranian president said.
Khatami's campaign spokesman Ahmad Borqani said an opinion poll carried out by campaigners forecast that 80 percent of the 42 million eligible voters would vote, 60 percent of them for Khatami.
"We cannot fully count on these figures...Usually Iranians make up their minds in the last few days," he told Reuters.
There have been no independent opinion polls.
Though none of Khatami's nine opponents have a real chance of winning, together they may dent his support. Campaigning has been slow so far, with most of the candidates concentrating on television and radio speeches and newspapers interviews to press their views.
Khatami's opponents have criticised the president's economic performance and largely steered clear of attacking the policy of political reform itself. Indeed, several candidates have embraced his reformist slogans.
"The votes you cast four years ago for the reform program have made a drastic change in the mentality of the Iranian community. The demands put forward by the reform movement were already unacceptable and those advocating the demands were regarded as "anti-religious and counter-revolutionary", President Khatami reminded, having the conservative opponents in mind.
"The kind of dialogue currently prevailing over the Iranian community is exactly what for which the people voted four years ago and that all have accepted the nation's demands", he added.
He said that the reform movement is seeking democracy in compliance with spirituality, the people's participation and abiding by the platform put for polling.
"There exists more obstacles in the way of the reform movement requiring dedication, vigilance and determination of the nation especially of the young generation to help attain the historical goals of the Iranian nation", he said.
He said that the Islamic republic should recognise the right of dissident’s, but warned immediately that the opponents should not be allowed to infringe upon the legal boundaries. "The Islamic Republic of Iran should not deal with any opposition seeking to topple the Islamic government", he stated, referring to some sixty Islamist-nationalist personalities and activists arrested recently on orders of the leader of the regime, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i.
Correspondent present at the stadium said the meeting ended peacefully, as the crowd left in order and there was no sight of the usual thugs. ENDS KHATAMI CAMPAIGN 29501