EFL
Iran's conservative-controlled Guardian Council has rejected a key reform bill aimed at giving President Mohammad Khatami greater authority over his cleric rivals. The proposed legislation — approved by the Iranian parliament last month — would have allowed Mr Khatami to challenge rulings by the country's conservative judiciary. It was widely expected that the Guardian Council — a watchdog which has the power to veto legislation it considers unconstitutional or contrary to Islamic law — would reject the bill. The development comes as conservative figures in the US Government step up efforts to press for regime change in Iran. BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says American "hawks" believe Iranian reformists under Mr Khatami have failed, and see no point in supporting them.
The rejected reform bill now goes back to parliament, which could send it to the higher ranking Expediency Council for arbitration. The bill was Mr Khatami's response to the jailing and trials of members of the reformist camp and students leaders, and the closure of more than 95 pro-reform newspapers over the past three years. But on Friday, the watchdog cited the bill as falling foul of at least 15 articles of the Iranian constitution, including proposals to give the president power to warn the judiciary on constitutional breaches and mete out punishment if the warning is not heeded. The council said asking the judiciary to probe into certain violations was "tantamount to interference in the issue of judgment and prerogatives of the judiciary". This was the second of two bills proposed by Mr Khatami to try to break the deadlock in the reform process. The president has faced declining popularity since his re-election in 2001, and the rejection on Friday will be seen as a major setback. Last month the council rejected another reform bill aimed at limiting its own powers to screen candidates for election. Since the fall of Iraq, the Bush administration has been paying increased attention to the reform issues in Iran and the role the country adopts in the Middle East region. Some US officials are said to see Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Shah, as their most promising ally rather than Mr Khatami. |