Ahmadinejad sworn in for second term amid walkouts and protests

          
          Ahnmdinejad sworn in for second term as Iranian president amid walkouts , ,, http://www.guardian.co.uk/wor ld/2009/aug/05/mahnrud-ahn'iadinej ad-s...
          guardlan.couk
          Ahmadinejad sworn in for second term
          amid walkouts and protests
          • Arrests reported as protesters gather outside parliament
          • UK ambassador hears president attack west in speech
          1 of3 8/6/2009 9:19 AM
        

          
          Abniadinejad sworninfor second termas Iranianpresident amid walkouts,.. lttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/05/mabnnid-ahniadinejad-s...
          Lee Glendinning and Haroon Siddique
          guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 5 August 2009 11.15 BST
          Mahmoud Ahmadinej ad's inauguration as Iranian president for a second term was
          marked by opposition walkouts, demonstrations and criticism from his own
          conservative camp today as pressure mounted on the disputed winner of Iran's election.
          Senior officials and clerics allended the ceremony at Iran's parliament but it was
          boycotted by many opposition leaders and moderate politicians. Those of the reform
          faction who did allend walked out when Ahmadinejad started speaking, according to
          the opposition website Parleman News. Hundreds of opposition supporters gathered
          outside parliament and further protests were reported to be planned for 30 locations at
          pm Iranian time (3.3opm GMT).
          The opposition claims Ahmadinejad stole the vote in the 12 June presidential elections.
          At least 30 demonstrators were killed in uprisings that followed.
          Despite recent friction between Iran and Britain , the British ambassador, Simon Gass,
          was there to hear Ahmadinejad renew his attacks on western countries, which Iranian
          officials blame for stirring up unrest after the election. “Some governments should feel
          responsible for the words and deeds, interferences, occupations ... they need to be
          accountable for this,” the president said.
          The Iranian people wanted “constructive dialogue” with the international community,
          he said, but added: “We will resist violation of law and interference and abuse of
          national mechanisms and discrimination ... We will not remain silent.”
          Britain's Foreign Office defended the decision to send Gass to the ceremony. A
          spokesman said it was important “to keep channels of communication open” to address
          issues of concern, including Iran's nuclear programme and human rights. He said it was
          “not business as usual” as the UK was not sending a leller of congratulations to
          Ahmadinejad. Following informal EU co-ordination, Germany and France followed suit,
          as did the US. In his speech after taking the oath of office, Ahmadinejad mocked the
          snub, saying: “Well, no one in Iran is waiting for your messages.” Some in the audience
          responded with cheers.
          Before Ahmadinejad's speech, the conservative head of Iran's judiciary, Ayatollah
          Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, urged him “to not use force ... on minor issues”.
          Ahmadinejad remained dismissive of the allegations of vote-rigging as he urged
          Iranians to stand together. “Who has voted for whom is not the question . . .today we
          need a national will. We need to join forces.”
          Hundreds of police were deployed around the parliament and a subway station nearby
          was closed to the public as opposition groups called protesters on to the streets.
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          Abniadinejad sworninfor second termas Iranianpresident amid walkouts,.. lttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/05/mabnnid-ahniadinejad-s...
          Opposition websites urged suppoiters of Ahmadinejad's main rival, Mir Hossein
          Mousavi, to protest against the swearing-in. Reuters reported a witness seeing hundreds
          of Mousavi suppoiters walking around the parliament building despite a heavy
          presence of riot police and Basij militia. The witness said there were no clashes but at
          least 10 people were arrested and mobile phones were cut off.
          There were reports of teargas used against protesters. Other witnesses said security
          troops dispersed hundreds of protesters chanting “Death to the dictator” in streets near
          the parliament building.
          The detained were said to include protesters who wore black T-shirts in a sign of grief
          over Ahmadinej ad's inauguration. Others were a young man in green trousers — the
          colour of Mousavi's movement — a middle-aged woman carrying a royalist banner in
          support of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was toppled in the 1979 Islamic
          revolution, and another woman chanting pro-Mousavi slogans. The official IRNA news
          agency said there had been no “disturbance of the peace”.
          Inside parliament, Ahmadinejad said: “I, as the president of the Islamic Republic of
          Iran, swear before the holy Qur'an and the Iranian nation and God to be the guardian of
          the official religion, the Islamic Republic and the constitution.” He pledged to protect
          the constitution and frontiers of Iran.
          He said his main focus would be on “progress and development”, and that he knew the
          Iranian people were “commuted to the same principles”.
          On Monday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Au Khamenei, ignored biller divisions at
          home and deep dismay abroad to publicly endorse Ahmadinejad as a “brave,
          hard-working and wise man”.
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          guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009
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