tehran, august 24, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah
seyed ali khamenei here on sunday expressed pleasure with inauguration of the new
government and hoped that the new government would enter into the arena with strongly
fresh and high spirit. in a meeting with the cabinet of president mohammad khatami on the
occasion of the government week, the leader paid tribute to martyre rajaei and martyr
bahonar, the president and prime minister of the islamic republic of iran who have been
martyred in a terrorist bomb blast in 1981. ayatollah khamenei said the two honorable
martyrs have turned into a definite revolutionary, thinking and practical current and that
the government week is in fact honoring the current left behind by the two
martyrs. in the meantime, the supreme leader appreciated the services of former president akbar hashemi
rafsanjani and his government adding that the services rendered by the former government
was an eternal blessing so that the vacum is now filled with the new government. the
leader recommended the new government to attach high importance to the islamic and
revolutionary values, reconstruction of the country, social justice, handling poverty and
resisting the greed of the hegemonist powers in all areas especially in the area of
cultural invasion. the leader said the expectations of the people would
be fulfilled in the matter of time and cautioned the government not to take hasty action
adding that the people are vigilant and aware that the problems could not be solved in the
matter of six months or a single year, but, they expect the government to move forward
responding the demands of the society in the matter of course. the leader recommended that
the hnterest of the masses of people should be given preference to that nf the special
economic, cultural or political groups and described giving such preferences as treading
the direct path adding that the services of the government rhould include the entirety of
the society.
before the leader, president khatami said that his cabinet's visit to
the leader is aimed at hearing the guidelines of the supreme leader. the president
appreciated the majlis deputies and management of the parliament for giving vote of
confidence to the entire cabinet and termed it as a sense of responsibility and goodwill
and praised the services of president akbar hashemi rafsanjani and his
government.
president khatami said that his government would pay full attention to protection of the
lofty values of islam and the islamic revolution. khatami said the process of
reconstruction would go ahead with taking into account the topics of social
justice,
handling poverty and paying special attention to the real owners of the islamic
revolution. the president said his government would honour the independence, dignity of
iranian nation and resist any greedy attempts of the arrogant powers especially in the
field of cultural inroad. the government will focus on giving more partnership to the
people in making use of the material and moral resources and the enormos human
talents,
the president concluded.
tehran, august 20, irna -- leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah
seyed ali khamenei said here on wednesday that the strength of the iranian nation and
government is indebted to the sacrifices of the zealous young people. in a meeting with
thousands of war veterans, former prisoners of war (pows) and the families of martyrs of
iraqi-imposed war (1980-1988), the supreme leader underlined the necessity for the
faithful persons to prapre to promote the great islamic civilization. referring to the
resistance of the iranian nation to the bullying of the global arrogance, the supreme
leader said the iranian nation and government have got ready to stand against the pressure
and bullying of the world arrogance and that the sacred system of the islamic republic
will finally bring to its knees the aggressor and arrogant enemy. the leader said the
materialistic powers can do nothing against a nation that is self-reliant and all doors
are closed to them. the iranian government and nation will resist the oppressor and
bullying enemies led by the u.s. which have revolted against the divine and religious
values.
concerning the plight of palestine, the leader said the palestinian
nation should resist the enemy and tolerate the sufferings, adding that those who think
the palestinian nation could survive by begging and negotiating, are in mistake. a nation
can stand up and lead an honourable life only through struggle against the
tyrants, the
leader said. on the issue of human rights, ayatollah khamenei said the so-called advocates
of human rights are hyprocrite, adding that today those who bear the flag of defending
human rights are themselves the
enemies of human rights. ''racial discrimination is rife in the
u.s.
and the blacks have no security in the american community, but, this hyprocritical
government has claim to the leadership of the world,'' ayatollah khamenei pointed out.
elsewhere in his address, the leader appreciated the sacrifices of the
martyrs of the iraqi-imposed war, the war veterans (the disabled) and the former prisoners
of war during the eight years of sacred defence. before the leader's remarks, former
prisoner of war and representative of the leader for seeing to the affairs of former
pows,
hojatoleslam abu-torabi gave a report on the sufferings and torture of iranian pows by the
iraqi regime and paid tribute to those war prisoners who attained martyrdom under torture
in captivity.
IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday confirmed Seyed Mohammad Khatami as the fifth president
of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a special ceremony at Husseinieh Imam Khomeini
here.
The Leader's official decree was read out by outgoing President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
to an audience which included Iran's top civil and military officials as well as foreign
diplomats. In the decree, the Leader formally announced that the administrative
responsibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran was handed over to the new
President,
"opening a new chapter in a healthy, tranquil atmosphere filled with the spirit of
cooperation and harmony." Rafsanjani handed the decree to the Leader, who in turn
officially handed it to new President Seyed Mohammad Khatami. The decree thanked God for
blessing Iran, a nation with political maturity, awareness and a strong determination
emanating from faith in God. It hailed the spectacular enthusiasm which saw the election
of the new president. "Now, once again, the grave responsibility of heading the
executive power is put on the shoulders of an experienced and revolutionary
cleric, a man
of letters and culture who has been trained in a seminary," the Leader said in the
decree. It said this was a sign of the people's trust in the committed clergy, and also
proof that in the course of construction, genuine spiritual values and commitment to
religion and ethics had been and would continue to be of paramount importance. The decree
also said that the confirmation of the Leader as well as the vote of the nation remained
valid as long as the President followed the Divine teachings of Islam to defend the
oppressed against the forces of arrogance and oppression. It highlighted the fact that
despite the efforts of previous governments, the poor sector of society continued to be in
need of the government's special attention. The Supreme Leader's decree concluded by
praying that the new President would be blessed by the Almighty and enjoy the people's
continued support. Ayatollah Khamenei then took to the podium himself to urge the new
administration to endeavor to root out poverty, injustice and discrimination. He stressed
that the Islamic Republic was not a capitalist system, and the safeguarding of social
justice had to serve as the foundation of all government activities. Talent and work
ethics should be the sole basis for the distribution of wealth among people, the Leader
stated. Those unfamiliar with Islamic culture had to realize that in the Islamic
Republic,
responsibilities were valued only for the sake of safeguarding social justice and Divine
laws, he added. The Leader called on the new President and the future Cabinet to employ
people loyal to the late Imam and the Revolution to advance the cause of the
nation. He
pointed to the people's support in the successes of governments after the victory of the
Islamic Revolution, saying that Iran would always support the Islamic government, and that
the Iranian nation was an asset for the Islamic government. The achievements of
post-Revolution administrations were made in spite of economic sanctions by enemies of the
Revolution, the Leader said, and support of the nation had been pivotal in taking the
Revolution forward. Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran's Divine system of government, with the
people's backing, had taken great strides in construction. The nation and system had
ensured the prestige of the country in international arena and furthered national
sovereignty. ``This, in itself, is a great Divine blessing and manifestation of Divine
power extended to the Iranian nation,'' he said. The Leader rejected allegations that the
Islamic system preached austerity in society. On the contrary, he said, the system worked
for advancement of science and intellectual and spiritual development in human
beings. The
history of Islam was a testimony to the fact that during the rule of Islam, countries made
immense achievements and progressed in science and industry. Ayatollah Khamenei said that
yesterday was an auspicious day for the nation and wished the new President and his team
success in their new undertaking. In his closing statement, the Supreme Leader added that
God Almighty had been on the side of the Islamic government in the most difficult
times,
and he called on the government to be more attentive to the cultural and economic needs of
the nation.