Moussavi digs in on Ahmadinejad election win (2nd Roundup)

Jul 1, 2009, 19:08 GMT

Tehran - Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi reiterated in a statement Wednesday that he did not acknowledge the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

'From now on we will have a government the legitimacy of which the majority of the people, including me, will not acknowledge,' Moussavi said in his first reaction to the official confirmation of Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Moussavi further said on his website that he would make no compromise on the rights of his supporters.

The Guardian Council had on Monday re-confirmed the results of the June 12 election and Ahmadinejad's victory.

'The Guardian Council's approval ... closed its eyes to numerous irregularities,' said Moussavi, whose demand for annulment of the results and holding new elections has been rejected by the establishment.

The council said that that with the final confirmation, neither Moussavi nor the other moderate candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, had any right to 'veto the election process' and continue their protests over election fraud.

'It is not too late and it is still possible to restore the people's trust ... the safety of our system depends on doing this,' said Moussavi addressing the Guardian Council.

Calling on his supporters, Moussavi said that 'as long as our protests go on, this government will have no legitimacy.'

'Hope in the future is our clearest protest. If you want to remain real Iranians, protect the flames of hope in your hearts, as hope is seed of the identity of Iranians worldwide,' Moussavi said.

'It is our historic duty to continue our protests to gain the people's legitimate rights,' he added.

Referring to political prisoners, he called on the release of 'the children of the revolution.'

'How can the people trust a government which jails their friends, colleagues and children solely on the pretext of paranoia,' Moussavi said.

According to police reports, more than 1,000 people, including former officials, dissidents, journalists and demonstrators, have been arrested. Most have since been released.

'Creating a security atmosphere in the society will only lead to people's distrust towards the system.' Moussavi warned, referring to increased security measures in Tehran to forestall further protest demonstrations.

Pointing to massive restrictions of local and international media, Moussavi said that a free press was 'oxygen for a healthy society' and called on the government to stop blocking media activities.

The foreign press had been banned from directly covering the protests or contacting the opposition.

'The green colour we chose as a symbol for our movement meant a life with more freedom and welfare than we have today,' Moussavi said in his seven-page statement.

At the end of his statement, Moussavi called for the stopping of the 'security approach,' amendment of the election law to prevent further manipulations and guaranteeing the impartiality of the relevant election bodies.

He further demanded freedom for protest gatherings, press, websites, as well as a stop to alleged governmental interference in the country's communication system - from switching off mobile phones and SMS systems to tapping phone conversations.

Meanwhile Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that the presidential election in Iran was also a victory for the international front against the United States.

'The election was a victory for the whole anti-imperialistic front worldwide and from now on, this front can have a more powerful presence in the international scene,' Ahmadinejad told visiting Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez.

Ahmadinejad considers the high turnout in the election as another acknowledgment of the Islamic system after three decades, encouraging him to have a tougher approach towards the West in his second presidential tenure.

The opposition however says that the 85 per cent turnout was an unanimous demand for changes in the Islamic state.

So far three leading reformist parties - Etemad Melli, SMEE and IIPF - rejected acknowledging Ahmadinejad's re-election.

Also former president Mohammad Khatami joined the critics and called on the immediate release of all the prisoner detained since the start of the protest demonstrations, including his former deputy Mohammad-Ali Abtahi and spokesman Abdollah Ramezanpour.

'What are the charges against these people, if they are criminals, why do they have no lawyers? oppressing people cannot end the protests and not be in the interest of the system, either,' Khatami said.

He further decried the state-run television for broadcasting alleged confessions by some detained protestors and said 'confessions under pressure were futile and outdated.'

The reformist cleric further warned the establishment that with such measures, the people's interest in attending future elections would sharply decrease.