- Title: MIDDLE EAST: Jimmy Carter, Palestinians in Gaza react to Ahmadinejad's victory
- Date: 14th June 2009
- Summary: RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (JUNE 13, 2009) (REUTERS) PALESTINIAN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS BUILDING FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER MEETING PALESTINIAN PRIME MINISTER SALAM FAYYAD CLOSE OF CARTER CLOSE OF FAYYAD MORE OF MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER SAYING: "I don't think it (Iran's presidential election results) will have any real effect because the same president will be there as has been there before. So there won't be any change. I think that the election has brought out a lot of opposition to his policies in Iran and I'm sure he'll listen to the opposition and maybe he'll modify some of his positions." GAZA CITY, GAZA (JUNE 13, 2009) (REUTERS) VIEW OF GAZA CITY STREET YOUNG PALESTINIAN MEN TALKING MAN LEANING AGAINST TAXI CAB (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA CITY RESIDENT KAMAL AL-ASHQAR, SAYING: "Ahmadinejad's victory in the elections is a support to the resistance and a loss for the weak negotiations with Israel." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GAZA CITY RESIDENT AKRAM MUHAMAD, SAYING: "Sure, Iranian election will affect the Palestinian people, because many (Palestinian) parties get support from Iran and we have the same common enemy." POLICEMAN DIRECTING TRAFFIC DONKEY CART ON ROAD
- Embargoed: 29th June 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA87GHHF8ILWMF90NXSSYEQWEZJ
- Story Text: Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter said on Saturday (June 13) that Iran won't face any change after its hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had secured his victory in the Islamic Republic's election.
Carter met Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in the West Bank city of Ramallah, and was later asked by journalists for his thoughts about election results in Iran.
"I don't think it will have any real effect because the same president will be there as has been there before, so there won't be any change," Carter said.
"I think that the election has brought out a lot of opposition to his policies in Iran and I'm sure he'll listen to the opposition and maybe he'll modify some of his positions," he added.
Ahmadinejad won Iran's presidential election with 62.6 percent of the vote, Iran's Interior Minister announced, taking nearly twice as many votes as moderate candidate Mirhossein Mousavi.
In Gaza City, which is controlled by Iranian-backed Hamas Islamists, residents welcomed the election outcome.
"Ahmadinejad's victory in the elections is a support to the resistance and a loss for the weak negotiations with Israel," said one Gaza City resident, Kamal Al-Ashqar.
"Many (Palestinian) parties get support from Iran and we have the same common enemy (Israel)," said a fellow resident, Akram Muhamad, Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be wiped off the map and the Jewish state sees Tehran's nuclear aspirations as a threat to its existence.
Israel has said it supports efforts to try to talk Iran out of building nuclear weapons but believes it should be limited to a set timeframe and has said all options should be kept on the table.
Iran denies seeking nuclear arms and has so far shrugged off Western pressure to freeze its programme. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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