TEHRAN, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said on Saturday that Tehran "regrets" to see Group of
Eight foreign ministers' interference in its internal affairs, local Press TV
reported.
Qashqavi said that despite the remarks made by the
G8, Iran's presidential election was held in a "competitive and free
atmosphere," Press TV reported.
"The 85 percent turnout (in the election) means
Iranians trust the country's electoral mechanisms," Qashqavi was quoted as
saying.
He also condemned the remarks of President of the
European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, who has offered to lead a mission of
EU lawmakers to Iran to probe possible "frauds" following a disputed June 12
presidential election.
Poettering's remarks came at a time "when Iran's
Guardian Council has not completed looking into the complaints yet," Qashqavi
said.
G8 foreign ministers said in the statement Friday
that "We deplore post-electoral violence which led to the loss of lives of
Iranian civilians and urge Iran to respect fundamental human rights including
freedom of expression."
On June 13, Iran's Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli
announced that incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won 62.63 percent of the
total ballots, while his main rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi got 33.75 percent.
The other two candidates, former parliament speaker
Mehdi Karroubi and former Revolutionary Guards Chief Mohsen Rezaei, each got
less than 2 percent of the total ballots.
After the official declaration, all the three
defeated candidates filed complaints over irregularities in the election, while
Mousavi and Karroubi have demanded an annulment of the election.
Rezaei withdrew his complaint to the Guardian Council
over presidential election results on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- President Barack Obama on Friday dismissed his
Iranian counterpart's criticism for U.S. interfering in Iran's affairs, saying
the United States and Germany have shared "one voice" in condemning the Iranian
government's crackdown on its people.
"The chancellor and I discussed the tragic situation in
Iran. Today we speak with one voice," the President told a joint press
conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel after their meeting in
the White House. Full story
ROME, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Group of
Eight foreign ministers meeting will take a strong stance against Iran for its
alleged crackdown on election protests, the Italian foreign minister said
Thursday.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini spoke ahead of the G8
conference in Trieste on the stabilization of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the ANSA
news agency reported. Full story
TEHRAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on Thursday urged U.S. President Barack Obama to express "regret"
over his interfering in Iran's affairs amid post-election unrest, local Fars
news agency reported.
"I hope Mr. Obama will stop interfering in Iran's affairs
and express his regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it,"
Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. Full story
TEHRAN, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Guardian
Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai said the council will set up a special
commission to draft a report on the June 12 presidential election, local ISNA
news agency reported on Friday.
"The Guardian Council decided to set up a special
commission, including political and social figures and representatives of
candidates who protest (vote results), to draft a report on the election,"
Kadkhodai was quoted as saying. Full story
TEHRAN, June 26
(Xinhua) -- Iran's Guardian Council spokesman Abbasali Kadkhodai said that the
10th presidential election on June 12 was the healthiest one held in the country
since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"After 10 days of investigation, no major irregularities
were found besides some minor ones that are usual in every election," Kadkhodai
was quoted as saying, "we didn't see any fraud in the election." Full story
TEHRAN,
June 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi
urged his supporters to "continue legal protests," a statement posted on the
website of his banned newspaper Kalemeh Sabz said on Thursday.
"The continuation of protests within the framework of the
law and according to the rules and principles of Islamic Revolution is the main
strategy which will guarantee the achievement of your goals," the statement
quoted Mousavi as saying. Full story
