Iran official cancels Rome visit over “rigged election” charges

Iran Focus: Rome, Jun. 29 – Iran reacted sharply to Italian government’s criticism of the recent presidential elections and cancelled a visit to Rome by the speaker of the clerical regime’s parliament.
The decision came after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi indicated that he would not receive Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali
Haddad Adel. Iran Focus

Rome, Jun. 29 – Iran reacted sharply to Italian government’s criticism of the recent presidential elections and cancelled a visit to Rome by the speaker of the clerical regime’s parliament.

The decision came after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi indicated that he would not receive Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel. Adel’s daughter is married to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, who has played a key role, according to informed sources in Tehran, in organising Iran’s security forces to manipulate the elections and give the presidency to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Tehran-based daily Sharq reported today that Adel cancelled his visit to Italy and Belgium. Adel’s office later said in a statement Wednesday that the visit to Belgium would go ahead.

“The visit was called off at the eleventh hour, after Berlusconi refused to receive Adel”, the paper reported today. “Italy is among those European countries that have reacted negatively to the presidential elections in Iran”.

In a veiled threat of economic reprisals, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi called on Italian officials to think about their national interest, according to the official Iranian news agency, IRNA.

Iran’s state-run media have given prominence to remarks by French and German government leaders, quoting them as saying that the recent election was “democratic and reflected people’s wish”.

The European Union has called on Iran to investigate “the irregularities in the election in a speedy and transparent manner”.

Italy’s European Commissioner, Franco Frattini, said in an interview with the daily La Repubblica, “the European Union could go as far as breaking off ties with Iran, if the new president gives negative answers”. He characterised Ahmadinejad’s position on the nuclear issue as “a hard-line stance”.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman was reacting to sharp criticism of Iran’s new president by an Italian minister, who said “Ahmadinejad is an evil man and hails from an evil regime”.

Asefi warned Italy that “repeating the claims of U.S. officials will not serve interests of Italy”.