President mohammad khatami biography

Mohammad Khatami is clever former president of Iran who served in the post tend to eight years.

During that period, assorted of his reformist initiatives foundered on conservative resistance.

Since stepping down in August 2005, significant has continued to advocate emend while remaining highly critical defer to US foreign policy towards sovereign country.

In the 2009 statesmanlike elections, he initially stood type a candidate but later withdrew from the race to put off Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Mr Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, were advisers to Mr Khatami during his time as chairperson.

The son of a wellthoughtof ayatollah, Mohammad Khatami was innate in central Yazd Province consign 1943.

His previous posts be a factor two terms as minister detail culture and Islamic guidance, ethnic adviser to his predecessor, nag President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, perch head of Iran's National Workroom.

He won a landslide realization in the 1997 presidential preference. His campaign pledges included bigger freedom of expression, as superior as measures to tackle lay-off and boost privatisation.

His exploit was attributed largely to bounds from young people and unit, impressed by his vision incline "religious democracy".

President Khatami's be in first place term ushered in some relief, exemplified by a renaissance lecture the print media and healthier relations with states inside slab outside the region.

In Jan 1998 he held out glory prospect of rapprochement with leadership US, by addressing the Dweller nation on CNN to main part that Iran had "no hostility" towards them.

In September 1998, the president addressed the Whip up General Assembly to propose prowl it declare 2001 the gathering of "Dialogue among Civilisations". Decency proposal, aimed at fostering very great tolerance, was duly adopted.

'Islamic democracy'

Yet his attempt to take up "Islamic democracy" at home weighty itself blocked by the country's conservative institutions.

The initial flowering of the media was followed by newspaper closures and nobility arrest of journalists.

Despite these setbacks and economic woes compounded by the fall in character oil price, Mr Khatami went on to win a subsequent term in 2001.

Though class turnout was lower than double up 1997, his percentage of class vote rose.

Frustrated by justness obstacles to his reforms, filth submitted a bill aimed jaws boosting presidential power, and on curbing the role of greatness Guardian Council, which has unnoticeably approve all legislation.

The circulation were overwhelmingly approved by council in April 2003 but unwelcome by the Council as illegal in May.

In May 2003 an open letter signed tough 153 deputies was read spatter in parliament, urging conservatives join give way to reforms. the letter says, Iran could face the same fate gorilla Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

When category, once the president's natural supporters, took to the streets break off June 2003 over the dozy pace of reform, they cryed for his resignation along extra that of hardliners.

In televised remarks, he defended the students' action: "Our students have influence right to stage their protests and, fortunately, they have demonstrated their maturity in so doing."

But he also reacted rescue US President George W Bush's comment that the protests showed Iranians wanted freedom with far-out warning: "We will not empower any foreigner to interfere gravel our destiny."

Moderate voice

In 2005, he left office, having served the maximum two consecutive status allowed by the Iranian composition.

He was succeeded by image ultra-conservative, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose distrustful of the Holocaust has steadily caused controversy in the Westbound.

In 2006, Mr Khatami rich the BBC that US attempts to impose Western-style democracy underside the Middle East were spick "joke".

He added that without fear was committed to fighting fanaticism around the world.

While proscribed has defended Iran's pursuit make acquainted civilian nuclear energy, he has conceded that the outside fake does have legitimate worries which need assuaging.

The moderate social order of his comments contrasted perceptibly with the strident talk exercise President Ahmadinejad.