http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=123456&d=10&m=6&y=2009
Wednesday 10 June 2009 (16 Jumada al-Thani 1430)
Rafsanjani slams Ahmadinejad 'fabrications'
Agencies
TEHRAN: One of Iran's most senior politicians accused President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad yesterday of lying in a televised presidential election debate and
called on the country's supreme leader to take action.
In an unprecedented public attack, former President Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani said tens of millions of Iranians had witnessed "mis-statements and
fabrications" in the debate last week, when Ahmadinejad accused Rafsanjani of
corruption.
Ahmadinejad also said in the debate Rafsanjani was part of a political
alliance supporting the main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and seeking to
prevent his re-election on Friday.
"I am expecting you to resolve this position in order to extinguish the
fire, whose smoke can be seen in the atmosphere, and to foil dangerous plots to
take action," Rafsanjani said in a letter to supreme leader Ali Khamenei,
published by the Mehr news agency.
The election campaign has already been marked by fierce public debate
between Ahmadinejad and his moderate rivals, but Rafsanjani's intervention is
likely to raise tensions further. "Even if I continue to tolerate this
situation, there is no doubt that some people, parties and factions will not
tolerate this situation," Rafsanjani said.
Meanwhile, a renowned women's rights activist could become the first-ever
female Cabinet minister in Islamic Iran, it was announced yesterday. Jamileh
Kadivar, a university professor and former Parliament deputy, is favored to
become minister if Karroubi wins the election.
"Mrs. Kadivar is one of the most qualified officials of the country and
could take care of either the Culture or Higher Education Ministry," Karroubi
told reporters in Tehran. The only high-ranking female officials in Iran have
so far been Massoumeh Ebtkear and Fatemeh Javadi.
