IRAN: Iran's President Mohammad Khatami has promised to push through democratic reforms more assertively, breaking months of silence on the imprisonment of his allies by hard-line courts.
The President told a rare news conference he planned to send a bill to parliament soon to demand greater powers to stop violations of citizens' constitutional rights. "God willing, I will be able to fulfil my duties with greater authority and make sure that nothing will be done beyond the constitution and the will of our people," he said.
"Until now I had tried to act delicately to reach a solution through dialogue and consensus," Mr Khatami said. "Unfortunately, I have not had much success."
Hard-line courts have jailed dozens of reformers and dissidents and closed newspapers, accusing them of seeking to undermine the Islamic system.
Islamic conservatives have also blocked efforts by Mr Khatami and his allies in parliament to push through liberal political and social reforms he promised after his 1997 election.
Mr Khatami, who is charged with upholding constitutional rights, had been facing growing criticism even from his own supporters for not doing more to protect reforms from the hard-line onslaught.
But he always appeared to hesitate, fearing he might fan the bitter factional row between reformers and conservatives. "This is not a hollow slogan," he told the conference. - (Reuters)