By DPA,
Tehran: Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in Wednesday for a second four-year presidential term.
The swearing-in ceremony, held in the Iranian parliament, was overshadowed by continued allegations of fraud in the June 12 presidential election.
A large number of police and voluntary Basij militia forces formed a tight security cordon in the streets around the parliament in central Tehran in anticipation of protests against the president.
In his inaugural address, Ahmadinejad referred to the Western states that have so far declined to congratulate him on his re-election.
“Nobody in Iran is waiting for any congratulations from your side,” Ahmadinejad said.
The leaders of several Western countries – including Britain, France and Germany – have refused to congratulate Ahmadinejad because of the charges of fraud by the opposition, which have prompted protests, in which more than 20 people have been killed. More than 1,000 critics were arrested, and more than 100 of them are still in jail.
“We neither care about your grumpy approach nor about your smiles and congratulations,” the president said.
Ahmadinejad said that some Western powers gambled away their credibility by their interference in the election process.
While ignoring the continuing protests against him, the president said that the huge popular turnout in the election was an acknowledgement of the 1979 Islamic revolution and “the political course of the last four years”.
“It is not important who voted for whom but important is now keeping the national sentiment and take, hand in hand, a huge step forward towards new horizons and major changes,” he said.
He added that in his second term, the country would stand more decisive against the West and not surrender to any pressure.
Ahmadinejad said earlier that Iran would limit negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and no longer hold talks with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany over its controversial nuclear programmes.
“We will stand against the world arrogance and will try to have an effective role for changing the world order and remove global oppression, occupation and discrimination,” the president said.
Ahmadinejad has two weeks to introduce his new cabinet to parliament for approval.
According to witnesses at the Baharestan Square where parliament is located, there have been sporadic protests outside the parliament building with demonstrators shouting “Death to the dictator” and accusing the president of election fraud.
Police apparently used pepper gas, dispersed the crowd and tightened security just before Ahmadinejad was due to leave the building, witnesses said.
The protesters fled into nearby alleys, they added.
For the first time since the June 12 election, the foreign press was invited by the government to cover an event related to the elections.
Foreign media are still prohibited from directly covering the protests, but due to their presence in the parliament, they could also witness parts of the protests outside.
Witnesses said that protests were held in Baharestan Square and in other districts, including the Tehran grand bazaar, where dozens of demonstrators shouted slogans against the president before being dispersed by police.
There had also been several arrests, including Haleh Sahabi, the daughter of prominent secular activist Ezatollah Sahabi, the witnesses added.