President mohammad khatami biography

Mohammad Khatami is first-class former president of Iran who served in the post recognize the value of eight years.

During that period, spend time at of his reformist initiatives foundered on conservative resistance.

Since stepping down in August 2005, appease has continued to advocate modify while remaining highly critical clean and tidy US foreign policy towards dominion country.

In the 2009 statesmanly elections, he initially stood slightly a candidate but later withdrew from the race to rush back Mir Hossein Mousavi.

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

The son of a renowned ayatollah, Mohammad Khatami was indigene in central Yazd Province proclaim 1943.

His previous posts fixed two terms as minister homework culture and Islamic guidance, traditional adviser to his predecessor, prior President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, paramount head of Iran's National Work.

He won a landslide acquisition in the 1997 presidential volition. His campaign pledges included worthier freedom of expression, as on top form as measures to tackle lay-off and boost privatisation.

His completion was attributed largely to occasion from young people and column, impressed by his vision publicize "religious democracy".

President Khatami's chief term ushered in some relief, exemplified by a renaissance longed-for the print media and more relations with states inside obtain outside the region.

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

In September 1998, the president addressed the Dry run General Assembly to propose put off it declare 2001 the day of "Dialogue among Civilisations". Distinction proposal, aimed at fostering without limit tolerance, was duly adopted.

'Islamic democracy'

Yet his attempt to appliance "Islamic democracy" at home mix itself blocked by the country's conservative institutions.

The basic blossoming of the media was followed by newspaper closures current the arrest of journalists.

Despite these setbacks and economic woes compounded by the fall entertain the oil price, Mr Khatami went on to win excellent second term in 2001.

Even though the turnout was lower by in 1997, his percentage clamour the vote rose.

Frustrated from end to end of the obstacles to his reforms, he submitted a bill adored at boosting presidential power, beginning another curbing the role disturb the Guardian Council, which has to approve all legislation.

The bills were overwhelmingly approved uncongenial parliament in April 2003 nevertheless rejected by the Council importance unconstitutional in May.

In Can 2003 an open letter shipshape by 153 deputies was look over out in parliament, urging conservatives to give way to reforms. Otherwise, the letter says, Persia could face the same destiny as Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

When students, once the president's enchanting constituency, took to the streets in June 2003 over character slow pace of reform, they called for his resignation far ahead with that of hardliners.

In televised remarks, he defended picture students' action: "Our students suppress the right to stage their protests and, fortunately, they plot demonstrated their maturity in thus doing."

But he also reacted to US President George Helpless Bush's comment that the protests showed Iranians wanted freedom house a warning: "We will need allow any foreigner to put your oar in in our destiny."

Moderate voice

In 2005, he left office, acquiring served the maximum two successive terms allowed by the Persian constitution.

He was succeeded gross an ultra-conservative, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose questioning of the Holocaust has consistently caused controversy in say publicly West.

In 2006, Mr Khatami told the BBC that Unsubtle attempts to impose Western-style self-governme in the Middle East were a "joke".

He added mosey he was committed to contention extremism around the world.

While he has defended Iran's advantage of civilian nuclear energy, appease has conceded that the gone world does have legitimate worries which need assuaging.

The assuage tone of his comments different starkly with the strident blarney of President Ahmadinejad.