Ahmadinejad gets key endorsement as Iran president

[August 03, 2009]  TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader formally endorsed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for second term as president Monday in a ceremony that sought to portray unity among the country's leadership but was snubbed by prominent critics of the disputed election.

After Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his official seal of approval, he received an awkward kiss on the shoulder from Ahmadinejad. The meeting cleared the way for Ahmadinejad to take the oath of office Wednesday in parliament, where many pro-reform lawmakers have echoed the claims of fraud in the June 12 election.

The ceremony with Khamenei showed vividly the deep political divides confronting Ahmadinejad and his backers among the ruling clerics. The event was boycotted by two former presidents -- Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami -- as well as defeated pro-reform candidates Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, state media reported.

Iran's main state TV channels did not offer live coverage of the ceremony in an apparent effort by the country's Islamic rulers to avoid emphasizing the boycotts to domestic audiences. But Iran's state-funded channels in Arabic and English broadcast extensive images of Khamenei and Ahmadinejad -- possibly seeking to display a sense of high-level solidarity on the international stage.

Khamenei described the June 12 election as a "golden page" in Iran's political history and said it was a "vote for the fight against arrogance and brave resistance to the international domination-seekers" -- a clear reference to the United States and its allies -- according to comments quoted by state TV.

Ahmadinejad -- who kissed Khamenei's hand four years ago to show absolute loyalty -- had a more tentative exchange this time. He appeared to approach Khamenei to kiss his hand, but the leader stopped him and took a step back. The two exchanged words, Ahmadinejad smiled, and then Khamenei allowed him to kiss his shoulder -- not a common gesture in Iran, where men often exchange kisses on the cheeks.

It appeared Khamenei sought to show a close bond with Ahmadinejad without the elaborate display of kissing his hand.

Iran faces some important tests in the early months of Ahmadinejad's second, four-year term.

President Barack Obama has given Iran a September deadline to show a willingness to open dialogue on its nuclear ambitions and other key issues.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the opportunity to talks with Washington "will not remain open indefinitely." The European Union also has signaled that Iran must move quickly to address Western concerns about Tehran's nuclear program -- which some fear could lead to atomic weapons. Iran insists it seeks only energy-producing reactors.

The political upheaval could distract or complicate Iran's study of possible contacts with Washington. It also could force the leadership to tone down Ahmadinejad's normally fiery rhetoric and limit his foreign travel to avoid provoking his internal critics.

But Ahmadinejad has given no hints of major policy concessions ahead.

In a July 16 speech, he again vowed to push ahead with Iran's nuclear program. He also said Iran wants "logic and negotiation" with the West but insisted the U.S. apologize for its interference in the elections. Iran, he declared, would become a world power that "will bring down the global arrogance" -- one of the phrases often used for the United States.

Iran's leadership is also desperate to show cohesion at home.

Ahmadinejad opened a brief -- but potentially disruptive -- confrontation with Khamenei's ruling theocracy in late July by refusing to drop his top deputy, Esfandiar Rahim Mashai, who angered conservatives last year when he made friendly comments toward Israelis. But Ahmadinejad relented and dropped Mashai.

Khamenei also took an apparent jab Monday at opposition leader Mousavi and others who have claimed the election was marred by abuses.

"This election was a test. People passed the test ... and some of the elites failed. This election made some (figures) the losers," state TV quoted Khamenei as saying.

But even conservatives have turned against the leadership over the elections and the harsh crackdowns that have followed. On Sunday, Ahmadinejad's main conservative election challenger, Mohsen Rezaei, demanded that authorities hold trials for those accusing of killing protesters.

More than 100 people, including many prominent reformist political figures, are facing trial for allegedly supporting the postelection unrest.

There was no word from Iranian authorities on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region.

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran is trying to learn more about the Americans' fate through its contacts with the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokeswoman Nadine Olivieri said Sunday. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of American-Iranian diplomatic relations.

The three Americans were detained by Iranian border guards, the Kurdish regional government said. One American who was traveling with the group, Shon Meckfessel, sat out the hike because he had a cold, said his grandmother, Irene Meckfessel, from her home in Carmichael, California.

One of the missing Americans has been identified by Kurdish authorities as Joshua Fattal. His mother, Laura Fattal of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, issued a brief statement Sunday saying her only concern was for the welfare of her son and his two traveling companions.

[Associated Press; By ALI AKBAR DAREINI]

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