Reform Process in Iran Irreversible: MinisterIran's Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi Tuesday termed President Mohammad Khatami's reform programs as irreversible and encouraged public participation in state affairs, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.Addressing Iran's diplomats abroad, who are currently gathering for a meeting, the minister said a major challenge Iran now faces is the unification of the country's two political factions, namely the reformers and the conservatives. Struggles between the two factions have become more intense since the February parliamentary election, in which Khatami's reformist allies won a landslide victory over the conservatives. This was the second humiliating defeat for the conservatives in the past few years. The first one was the 1997 presidential election, in which moderate Khatami, former minister of culture and Islamic guidance, defeated former parliament speaker Nateq Nouri. Although the conservatives, through their control of the powerful judiciary, have ordered the closure of more than 20 pro-reform papers and arrested a number of journalists in the past few months, the reformist trend seems irreversible because it has the support of a majority of people. In his address on Tuesday, Yunesi called for public participation in state affairs in order to combat the challenges Iran currently faces. He also underlined the importance of providing security in economic, cultural, political and social areas, which he said are the major policies on the agenda of the Intelligence Ministry. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |