Khatami defends Ahmadinejad’s stance – Iran daily

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 19 – Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami, a mid-ranking cleric dubbed a “moderate” by the West, defended the hard-line stance of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against the state of Israel, a semi-official daily wrote in a front-page headline on Saturday. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 19 – Iran’s former President Mohammad Khatami, a mid-ranking cleric dubbed a “moderate” by the West, defended the hard-line stance of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against the state of Israel, a semi-official daily wrote in a front-page headline on Saturday.

The daily Kayhan, which carries the official positions of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that while defending Ahmadinejad’s threat that Israel “must be wiped off the map”, Khatami announced, “Ahmadinejad’s stance was the wish of the entire Iranian nation”.

“Iran’s policies have not changed at all with the instalment of the new government”, Khatami was quoted as saying, while in Berlin.

He said that all administrations would stick to the fundamental policies of the Islamic Republic.

The former president was also quoted as having told German officials that Iran would pursue its “right” to carry out nuclear activities under the United Nations Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“It is natural that we are seeking our freedom and independence and we will resist any barrier in this regard including the West’s discriminatory and expansionist policies”, Khatami said.