America's Hope for Direct Support of Democracy Advocates Among the People of Iran - 2002-07-23

According to a published report, President Bush has concluded that Mohammad Khatami, the President of Iran, and his reformist allies in the government are too weak to effectively change Iranian society. The Washington Post writes that U.S. leaders have shifted their emphasis from hopes of cooperation with Mr. Khatami to focusing on direct support for democracy advocates among the Iranian people. This policy shift will end a five-year effort by the U.S. to find a way to cooperate with Mr. Khatami. According to the report, the change in U.S. policy towards Iran comes after the U.S. government seriously and comprehensively reviewed its choice of a harder stance against Iran. President Bush, who has labeled Iran, Iraq, and North Korea as an axis of evil, recently accused the unelected rulers of Iran of ignoring the majority of the Iranian people's demand for change in the Islamic regime. In his statement, Mr. Bush noted that in Iran, students, journalists, and members of parliament are still being arrested, harassed, and mistreated for advocating reforms and criticizing the regime. On the other hand, Mohammad Khatami, the President of Iran, today warned Washington against intervention in the Middle East and stoking what he called the flames of war. In his speech in Malaysia, Mr. Khatami accused the U.S. of leading the world down a frightening path in its fight against terrorism. Mr. Khatami warned against a potential U.S. attack on Iraq, stating that such an action threatens regional stability. He further stated that if the U.S. were to abandon what he called humiliating policies against Iran, Tehran would have no issues with Washington.