World leaders hail Ahmadinejad win amid Israel fury

[joeblow]

World leaders hail Ahmadinejad win amid Israel fury
Sun, 14 Jun 2009 08:15:41 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=9 ... =351020101

The landslide victory of Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential elections has garnered a mixed response in the World political scene.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was among the first world leaders to congratulate his Iranian counterpart for the success of his re-election bid, in yesterday's poll which saw an unprecedented voter turnout of 85% .

"The victory of Dr. Ahmadinejad in the recent election is a win for all people in the world and free nations against global arrogance," Chavez said on Saturday.

Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai conveyed their separate congratulatory messages to President Ahmadinejad on Sunday.

In the Arab world, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa congratulated Ahmadinejad on his historic election win, saying that he hopes his re-appointment would promote better relations between Iran and Arab countries.

The Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, also lauded Ahmadinejad's re-election as Iranian president.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent a congratulatory message to his Iranian counterpart on Saturday, in whiched he wished the prosperity and wellfare of the Iranian people.

Mohammad-Mehdi Akef, Leader of Egyptian Ikhwan al-Muslemin, Palestine's Hamas Resistance, and Lebanon's Hezbollah Movement, hailed President Ahmadinejad on his victory in separate messages.

"The outcome of the June 12 elections in Iran show the immense popularity of Iran's policy," read a statement by Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.

"Ahmadinejad's victory proves his success in sponsoring and maintaining the people's interests and hopes and protecting them from the global threats," he added.

The Israeli officialdom, however, was quick to voice concern over Ahmadinejad's election victory.

"The problem presented by Iran for the international community is not personal, but derives from its policies," Israeli Foreign Minster Avigdor Liberman said in a statement.

Minister of Regional Cooperation Silvan Shalom said that "the election of Ahmadinejad sends a clear message to the world that the current policy has won widespread support and thus will continue".

During his first period in office, President Ahmadinejad, unlike his predecessor, Mohammad Khatami, adopted a 'no compromise' policy over the country's civilian nuclear program which Israel and its Western allies insist must be halted.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also responded rather cautiously to Ahmadinejad's landslide win.

The EUropean Union-- which faced a disappointing record low turnout in its latest elections--has said it is concerned about the status quo in Iran after street protests broke out in the capital Tehran over election results.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon expressed serious reservation about Friday's historic polls and said Canadian embassy officials in Tehran are closely monitoring the election aftermath.

Friday's election witnessed incumbent Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad win 24.5 million of the votes -- nearly 62 percent.

Ahmadinejad's main challenger, Mir-Hossein Moussavi, came second with 13.2 million votes, followed by Mohsen Rezaei with more than 630 thousand votes and Mehdi Karroubi with 320 thousand votes.

SBB/DT