IRAN’S AHMADINEJAD, UNDER NEW CRITICISM AT HOME, CUTS SHORT VISIT TO ARMENIA
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Oct 23 2007
TEHRAN, Iran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cut short a
planned two-day visit to Armenia on Tuesday, officials there said,
as the hard-line leader faced growing unhappiness back home over the
resignation of Iran’s top nuclear negotiator.
The sudden replacement of negotiator Ali Larijani fueled already
increasing complaints – even from conservatives who were once his
supporters – that the fire-brand president was mismanaging Iran’s
most vital issues, particularly the confrontation with the West over
the nuclear program.
Beyond the suddenness of Larijani’s departure, the choice for his
replacement, Saeed Jalili, also came as a surprise. Jalili was a
little-known deputy foreign minister, noted mainly for his loyalty
to Ahmadinejad.
In a sign the displeasure may reach high levels in Iran’s clerical
establishment, a foreign policy adviser to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,
Iran’s supreme leader, complained over the surprise change, which took
place over the weekend – just ahead of key talks with the European
Union in Rome on Tuesday.
"It was definitely better if this did not happen in the (current)
important and sensative situation when the nuclear issue is on the
table," the adviser, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati,
was quoted Monday as saying by the semi-official news agency, ISNA.
Jalili met Tuesday in Rome with the European Union’s foreign policy
chief, Javier Solana, in his first talks as top negotiator, though
Larijani attended to help the transition.
Before Larijani resigned, an EU official, who requested anonymity
because of the confidential nature of the matter, told The Associated
Press that the Rome meeting would focus on Tehran’s refusal to heed
U.N. Security Council demands for a freeze on uranium enrichment.
The resignation over the weekend has been widely interpreted as a
victory for Ahmadinejad, enabling him to impose a tougher line in
nuclear negotiations. Though a conservative, Larijani was considered
more moderate than Ahmadinejad within Iran’s hardline camp and had
reportedly differed with the president over how to approach nuclear
talks.
But the replacement could hurt Ahmadinejad by further reducing his
support within the Iranian political establishment.
Many at home – including conservatives who were once his allies –
complain he has failed to improve Iran’s economy and unnecessarily
worsened the standoff with the West with the fiery rhetoric that has
angered many in the U.S. and Europe.
The appointment of Jalili reflects Ahmadinejad’s desire to "consolidate
control over all foreign policy," said Vali Nasr, a professor of
international politics and Iran expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher
School.
While the discontent may not damage him immediately, "in the long run
it matters because incompetence may bring down Ahmadinejad," Nasr said.
It was not known if the interruption of Ahmadinejad’s visit to Armenia
was linked to the controversy. Ahmadinejad may have sought to avoid
angering Turkey by visiting a genocide memorial in Armenia.
Armenian officials said Ahmadinejad had been expected to plant a silver
fir sapling at the memorial on Tuesday. But the previous evening,
he informed his hosts that had to return home early Tuesday because
of unexpected developments in Iran, a spokesman of Armenian President
Robert Kocharian said.
Landing in Tehran on Tuesday, Ahmadinejad insisted the trip was not
cut short, saying it had been scheduled to last 22 hours and in fact
went 90 minutes over.
But during his absence Monday, complaints over Larijani’s replacement
mounted. On Monday, 183 lawmakers, most of them conservatives, passed
a measure praising Larijani’s performance as nuclear negotiator,
a clear sign of displeasure with his departure.
Conservative lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh criticized the
changes, saying "the calamity of repeated dismissals and replacements
has become a policy in this government, a move that not only has not
brought any improvements but also has damaged progress both in the
domestic and foreign arenas."
Jalili’s elevation involves a startling jump onto the powerful Supreme
National Security Council, a key decision-making body that includes
top political and military officials.
The top nuclear negotiator has the official title of secretary of
the council, but usually he is a member of the council before being
elevated to the post. Traditionally, the secretary has also been one
of Khamenei’s personal representatives on the council. Jalili was
not ojn the council before being named its secretary over the weekend.
Instead, the 42-year-old Jalili – who was a Revolutionary Guards
officer during the Iran-Iraq war – served as deputy foreign minister
for European and American affairs. He often acted as a quiet envoy
for the president, delivering messages to European officials. He also
wrote the first speech Ahmadinejad gave to the U.N. in 2005 in which
the president proclaimed Iran’s "inalienable right" to nuclear energy,
according to Nasr.