Ahmadinejad's New Claim:
Even though a number of days have already passed since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed at a gathering of clerics in Qom that he had been the victim of a "failed kidnap and assassination plot" during a trip to Iraq, no source has come forward to authenticate the president's story.
In its initial reaction, E'temad daily sought to verify Ahmadinejad's claim by asking the Iraqi ambassador to Iran. At a higher level, Iraqi officials have been told of the claim but they have denied it. Yesterday, Farda website reported that the Iraqi presidential council had denied the existence of any attempts to kidnap or assassinate Ahmadinejad when he was in Baghdad, and one of its members corroborated that position by saying, "I was one of the people who accompanied Ahmadinejad from the moment he entered Baghdad until the end of his visit, and throughout his visit no changes were implemented in the security plan of the Iraqi guards charged with his protection, and Ahmadinejad was not threatened by any group."
The denials include Iranian officials. The head of the National Security Committee of the Majlis, Boroujerdi, is among them. He announced his ignorance regarding the plot to kidnap and assassinate Ahmadinejad in Iraq, and told reporters, "The National Security Committee has not received any reports about the plot to kidnap Ahmadinejad in Iraq." Government spokesperson Gholamhossein Elham too refused to answer questions dealing with the president's controversial claim in his latest meeting with reporters.
Ahmadinejad's latest remarks in Qom were made at a meeting where only reporters from the administration's official news agency - and not any others - were allowed to be present. Farda website had previously reported that Ahmadinejad had asked the meeting's organizers not to allow any reporters other than those affiliated with the administration's official news agency to be present at the meeting during his speech. Nevertheless, Tabnak website quoted "a cleric who was present in the meeting" as having said, "At the meeting of members of the [Qom Seminary School] Teachers' Association, Ahmadinejad said, 'Coinciding with my trip to Iraq, the Americans were planning to kidnap me in a well-planned plot and transfer me to the United States, in order to seek concessions from the Islamic Republic for my return, using terrorism as excuse."
Iran daily, the administration's official newspaper, was the only newspaper that confirmed the "conspiracy plot to kidnap Ahmadinejad" and concluded that the plot was foiled because of the "God’s merciful will and prayers of the people."
In return, newspapers critical of the Administration confronted the president’s remarks with sarcasm and disbelief, posing several questions; for example, if the Americans wanted to kidnap the president, why has the Iranian government not made any international complains? Why did the Americans not arrest the president in New York, rather deciding to kidnap him in Iraq? Or, why did the president decide to visit Italy, if he was facing kidnap threats outside Iran?
In response to these questions posed by newspapers in Tehran, one of Ahmadinejad's close allies revealed on Tuesday that Ahmadinejad was the target of an assassination plot at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's summit earlier this month in Rome.
Fars News Agency published parts of a speech by the president's advisor for human resources affairs. Ali Zabihi, who was speaking at a mosque in Tabriz to commemorate the third anniversary of Ahmadinejad's election, while revering Ahmadinejad's "persistence in face of threats," revealed the foiling of Ahmadinejad's assassination plot in Rome, adding, "The actions of the president over the three previous years have endangered the illegitimate interests of many people in Iran and outside. That is why some people have thought of eliminating or assassinating the president, but the plots to assassinate the president in Iraq and at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference failed, thanks to God."
Such claims come at a time when even hardline Keyhan daily called Ahmadinejad’s claims as "hurried" or “premature.” Keyhan wrote, "It seems as if some of the administration's remarks - including the American attempt to kidnap the president in Iraq - are not appropriately measured and this issue has at times inflicted serious harm on the administration and society in general."
In its initial reaction, E'temad daily sought to verify Ahmadinejad's claim by asking the Iraqi ambassador to Iran. At a higher level, Iraqi officials have been told of the claim but they have denied it. Yesterday, Farda website reported that the Iraqi presidential council had denied the existence of any attempts to kidnap or assassinate Ahmadinejad when he was in Baghdad, and one of its members corroborated that position by saying, "I was one of the people who accompanied Ahmadinejad from the moment he entered Baghdad until the end of his visit, and throughout his visit no changes were implemented in the security plan of the Iraqi guards charged with his protection, and Ahmadinejad was not threatened by any group."
The denials include Iranian officials. The head of the National Security Committee of the Majlis, Boroujerdi, is among them. He announced his ignorance regarding the plot to kidnap and assassinate Ahmadinejad in Iraq, and told reporters, "The National Security Committee has not received any reports about the plot to kidnap Ahmadinejad in Iraq." Government spokesperson Gholamhossein Elham too refused to answer questions dealing with the president's controversial claim in his latest meeting with reporters.
Ahmadinejad's latest remarks in Qom were made at a meeting where only reporters from the administration's official news agency - and not any others - were allowed to be present. Farda website had previously reported that Ahmadinejad had asked the meeting's organizers not to allow any reporters other than those affiliated with the administration's official news agency to be present at the meeting during his speech. Nevertheless, Tabnak website quoted "a cleric who was present in the meeting" as having said, "At the meeting of members of the [Qom Seminary School] Teachers' Association, Ahmadinejad said, 'Coinciding with my trip to Iraq, the Americans were planning to kidnap me in a well-planned plot and transfer me to the United States, in order to seek concessions from the Islamic Republic for my return, using terrorism as excuse."
Iran daily, the administration's official newspaper, was the only newspaper that confirmed the "conspiracy plot to kidnap Ahmadinejad" and concluded that the plot was foiled because of the "God’s merciful will and prayers of the people."
In return, newspapers critical of the Administration confronted the president’s remarks with sarcasm and disbelief, posing several questions; for example, if the Americans wanted to kidnap the president, why has the Iranian government not made any international complains? Why did the Americans not arrest the president in New York, rather deciding to kidnap him in Iraq? Or, why did the president decide to visit Italy, if he was facing kidnap threats outside Iran?
In response to these questions posed by newspapers in Tehran, one of Ahmadinejad's close allies revealed on Tuesday that Ahmadinejad was the target of an assassination plot at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's summit earlier this month in Rome.
Fars News Agency published parts of a speech by the president's advisor for human resources affairs. Ali Zabihi, who was speaking at a mosque in Tabriz to commemorate the third anniversary of Ahmadinejad's election, while revering Ahmadinejad's "persistence in face of threats," revealed the foiling of Ahmadinejad's assassination plot in Rome, adding, "The actions of the president over the three previous years have endangered the illegitimate interests of many people in Iran and outside. That is why some people have thought of eliminating or assassinating the president, but the plots to assassinate the president in Iraq and at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference failed, thanks to God."
Such claims come at a time when even hardline Keyhan daily called Ahmadinejad’s claims as "hurried" or “premature.” Keyhan wrote, "It seems as if some of the administration's remarks - including the American attempt to kidnap the president in Iraq - are not appropriately measured and this issue has at times inflicted serious harm on the administration and society in general."
