Coverages – Iran

Excerpts from an Interview with Mohammad Javad Haghshenas,
Publisher Etemad e Melli Newspaper
Teheran May, 2006

(…)

KL: Your newspaper is very new, only 84 issues were published so far.

Mohammad Javad Haghshenas: Yes, the paper is only 4 months old.

KL: Was there a need for a new paper?

Mohammad Javad Haghshenas: Exactly. Actually, Mr. Mahdi Kharubi founded this paper together with 14 other people, who are the founding delegation of the new Etemad e Melli Party, they are the main board. In one of their sessions they decided, that their political party needs a mouthpiece (…) so this paper was founded to act as their mouthpiece. (…)

KL: Many people told me, they were disappointed with the small progress under the reformists, if progress at all. They had 8 years and did not really succeed. Now the situation is even more difficult for them, (…) what did the reformists learn from the mistakes of the passed 8 years?

Mohammad Javad Haghshenas: Actually, I am not in the position to speak for all the reformists. But considering the fact, that my party is considered to be a reformist party, I can just say, that what we keep in mind is, that for the progress, the reformists came to the point, to make a development, what is needed more is to strengthen the civil organizations. The formation of a party is one of the largest and most important factors, to strengthen the civil rights and organizations. Through a party they can improve more. So, with this approach we actually formed the party, the essential consent of the party, there are 55 people, mainly MP’s, former MP’s, deputy ministers, governors, governor generals and all the senior managers. So all these officials who actuall have or had high ranking positions, are prepared, to form different offices all over Iran. This is one of our plans, to increase the number of our branches all over Iran. (…)

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