TEHRAN: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second term as Iran’s president on Wednesday while security forces battled hundreds of protesters in the streets around the Parliament where the ceremony was held.
Key opposition leaders, moderate lawmakers and all three of Ahmadinejad’s election challengers boycotted the swearing-in ceremony. State-run Press TV said more than 5,000 security forces were in the streets around the Parliament and police with sniffer dogs patrolled the area after the opposition called for demonstrations to coincide with the inauguration.
In his inaugural address, Ahmadinejad emphasized his plans to improve the faltering economy. He demanded that Iran be on an equal footing with other world powers and denounced foreign interference.
Ahmadinejad said Iran wanted peaceful coexistence with the world, but would resist any “bullying” power. “We must play a key role in the management of the world,” Ahmadinejad said. “We will not remain silent. We will not tolerate disrespect, interference and insults,” he added. “I will spare no effort to safeguard the frontiers of Iran.” Ahmadinejad noted that some Western countries — including the US, Britain, France, Germany and Italy — did not congratulate him on his election win.
“Some countries have not recognized the elections or extended their congratulations. They do not respect the rights of other nations, yet they recognize themselves as the yardstick for democracy,” he said, without naming specific countries. “Nobody in Iran is waiting for anyone’s congratulations,” he added, to cheers from lawmakers.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said his country has serious concerns over the election, Iran’s contentious nuclear program and human rights that must be addressed first.
“There are many people inside Iran who have serious concerns about the outcome and conduct of the election,” said the spokesman, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “We have repeatedly called on the government of Iran to address these concerns,” he added. “It is not business as usual with Iran, which is why we will not be sending a message of congratulations to Ahmadinejad.”
Ahmadinejad did not directly address President Barack Obama’s outreach for the start of a dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program, which the US suspects is geared toward producing weapons. But he said: “Iran is a nation of logic, dialogue and constructive interaction. The basis of our foreign policy is wide and constructive contacts with all nations and independent governments based on justice, respect and friendship.”
The US administration has given Iran a vague deadline of September to respond positively to the outreach or face stiffened sanctions. But US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton acknowledged recently that the election turmoil appears to have paralyzed decision-making on the US offer.
“I don’t think they have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now,” Clinton said.
