Editorial
Open debate between Iran President Ahmadinejad and Obama would be welcomed
Commodity prices are skyrocketing, the unemployment rate is said to be anywhere from 13 to 20 percent, and the country has been isolated internationally under U.N. sanctions over its nuclear development program. But Iran has chosen to re-elect hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The turnout of over 80 percent underscores voters' strong interest in the election. We first want to express respect for the choice of the country's people. At the same time there are requests we want to make to Ahmadinejad as he remains in office.
Iran wields influence over the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has remained at odds with Israel, and has been accused of cooperating with North Korea in the development of missiles and nuclear weapons. Needless to say it also has rich oil resources. As such, the country's actions exert influence over international affairs, and we want President Ahmadinejad to make efforts toward international cooperation. Denying the Holocaust and referring to wiping out Israel do nothing for international society or for Iran. Ahmadinejad's exclusive hard-line attitude to the nuclear issue is also disconcerting.
Three decades have passed since Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic revolution. Clashes have continued in Iran between the forces said to be true to the ideology of Khomeini, who referred to the United States as the "Great Satan," and forces that have gradually been moving away from Khomeini's line and are trying to improve relations with Europe and the United States.
Ahmadinejad has, of course, taken the former line, and Mir Hossein Mousavi, his rival candidate, the latter. It had been expected that Mousavi, who has called for a freer society, including expanding women's rights, would make a good showing at the polls. At least it had been thought that no candidates would receive a majority in an initial vote, leading to a runoff.
But when the results came in, Ahmadinejad emerged as the runaway winner. His re-election with a two-thirds majority suggests domestic sympathy with his denouncing of money politics and corruption, as well as a spreading sense of danger in the country as U.S. forces remain stationed in the territory of two of Iran's neighbors (Iraq and Afghanistan). We want to continue to monitor the situation to determine whether there were any electoral improprieties, as the Mousavi camp claims.
In an address in Cairo, U.S. President Barack Obama called for reconciliation with the Islamic world, and also showed a willingness to participate in dialogue with Iran. In addition, Obama signaled his intention to draw a line differentiating between Iran and North Korea. Dialogue between the United States and Iran would contribute to stability in the Middle East as well as to reform in the world, including a solution to the nuclear issue.
Previously Ahmadinejad called for an open debate with former U.S. President George W. Bush, while also making references to debates with Obama of the Democratic Party and McCain of the Republican Party during the U.S. presidential election campaign. How about giving shape to an open debate between the United States and Iran, for example, in the form of a television debate? Even if the arguments failed to meet, such a debate would probably contribute to building trust in the long run. It is our hope that the U.S. and Iran will emerge from the rut of opposition.
(Mainichi Japan) June 15, 2009