The Hindu : International : Ahmadinejad nominates hard-line Cabinet team

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 15, 2005

International

International

Ahmadinejad nominates hard-line Cabinet team

TEHERAN: Iran's new President named a Cabinet on Sunday replete with hard-liners in key Ministries, nominations seen as likely to cause more confrontation with the West over the country's nuclear programme.

None of the 21 Ministers in Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's proposed Cabinet are known to back democratic reforms. They are seen as followers of Iran's conservative Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters. Parliament has to approve the Cabinet but, as the House is dominated by conservatives, it is expected to do with few, if any, changes.

The proposed Foreign Minister is Manouchehr Mottaki, a conservative who has criticised Iran's nuclear negotiations with the Europeans, saying the country should make no concessions.

Several other proposed Ministers are either members of the Revolutionary Guards, or have a history of cooperating with the Guards.

If the new Cabinet is confirmed, it is expected to adopt more aggressive positions with the Europeans, who have been trying to persuade Iran to abandon its uranium enrichment programme to avoid being referred to the U.N. Security Council.

A former hard-line Deputy Intelligence Minister, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, was named Interior Minister. Mr. Ahmadinejad named as Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, a cleric whom reformist journalists regard as an unyielding opponent of press freedom. There are no women in the nominated Cabinet. — AP

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