ahmadinejad mousavi debate
But he balanced the offer with a sharp rebuke to Washington and its allies over Iran’s nuclear program. [1]
TEHRAN, June 3 — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his main rival in the June 12 election, former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, held a remarkably frank debate Wednesday night that exposed deep differences among Iran’s leaders and presented voters with two completely opposing views. [2]
The main pro-reform candidate accused hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of driving Iran toward “dictatorship” and hurting its standing in the world by questioning the Holocaust, during a rare and unprecedentedly raucous election debate Wednesday. [...] During the 90-minute debate, televised live, Ahmadinejad and opponent Mir Hossein Mousavi traded frank and direct criticisms that are unheard of in Iranian politics, where clashes are usually veiled in elliptical, polite language. [3]
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed on Monday a face-to-face debate with President Barack Obama at the United Nations if he is re-elected next month as Iran’s president. [4]
He reiterated that Iran would never abandon its advances in uranium enrichment in exchange for offers of easing sanctions or other economic incentives. [5]
Mousavi said Ahmadinejad’s denial of the Holocaust had cost Iran much international standing. [2]
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed on Monday a face-to-face debate with President Barack Obama at the United Nations if he is re-elected next month as Iran’s president. [5]
The tough talk on nuclear negotiations following Iran’s test last week of a long-range missile appear aimed at burnishing Ahmadinejad’s hard-line credentials in the election campaign against another conservative and two pro-reform candidates. [4]
His offer of to debate Obama could also be campaign posturing before the June 12 vote. [6]
However last week, the American leader said the U.S. was prepared to seek deeper international sanctions against Tehran if it did not respond positively to the attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. [5]
Obama has urged a “serious process of engagement” after Iran’s elections in an effort to end a nearly 30-year diplomatic chill. [6]
The campaign took a bitter turn over the weekend when reformists accused Ahmadinejad’s supporters in the Islamic regime of blocking the popular social networking site Facebook, which has become an important tool to mobilize Iran’s crucial youth vote. [...] Unemployment is rising and inflation has reached 25 percent, making the economy one of the president’s most vulnerable points among voters. [...] That also served as a direct shot at Ahmadinejad’s main reformist challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who is backed by Khatami. [4]
Sources:
[1] Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN
[2] Iran’s Ahmadinejad, Opponent Mousavi Express Sharply Divergent Views in …
[3] Iran’s Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN
[4] Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN
[5] The Associated Press: Iran’s Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN
[6] Iran’s Ahmadinejad wants to debate Obama at UN - Yahoo! News