President's supporters to hold rally at British embassy in Tehran

Jun 23, 2009, 6:26 GMT

   Hamburg/Tehran - Supporters of re-elected conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they would protest Tuesday against Britain's alleged interference in internal Iranian affairs in front of the country's embassy in Tehran.

   Britain, like several other Western nations, has urged Iran to honour human rights and re-examine the results of the June 12 presidential polls, which Ahmadinejad won by a landslide, according to official results.

   Opposition supporters accuse the government of vote rigging and have been protesting for 11 days, calling for the annulment of the elections and a rerun of the vote, despite threats of a government crackdown.

   The country's powerful Guardian Council, in charge of reviewing the elections, is to announce its final verdict on Wednesday.

   According to witnesses, security forces have violently broken up street protests. However, state media said the clashes, in which at least 10 people were killed over the weekend, were triggered by 'rioters.'

   Observers in Tehran believe the pro-Ahmadinejad protests could also extend to the German and French embassies. Iran's leadership has criticized the three countries, which lead the European Union's negotiations on Iran's controversial nuclear programme, over their stance on the election results. dpa fm/dm im se