Indian Media Widely Covers Rohani’s 1st Press Confab

New Delhi, June 18, IRNA – India’s electronic and print media widely covered president-elect Hassan Rohani’s first press conference held on Monday in Tehran. Leading semi-government news agency, Press Trust of India (PTI) wrote, “Iranˈs newly elected president pledged Monday to follow a ˈpath of moderationˈ and promised greater openness over the countryˈs nuclear program, emphasizing messages from western leaders since his victory that have brought cautious hope of new openings with Tehran”. Meanwhile, ˈAll India Radioˈ quoting Rohani said that Iranˈs president-elect has said that the United States must recognize Iran’s nuclear rights and the ties between the two countries must be based on mutual respect. In his first news conference since winning Friday election, Rohani said Iran now has an opportunity for better interaction with other world powers, it said. Meanwhile India’s national television, Doordarshan said that the president-elect Rohani expressed hope that Iran could reach a new agreement with major powers over its disputed nuclear program, saying a deal should be reached through more transparency and mutual trust. It said that Rohani, a moderate-conservative cleric who was declared winner of Iranˈs presidential election on Saturday, also described as unfair and unjustified sanctions imposed against the Islamic republic over the nuclear issue. “President-elect Rohani expressed hoped Monday that Iran could reach a new agreement with the international powers over its nuclear program, saying such a deal should be reached through more transparency and mutual trust,” wrote the zeenews website. The leading English daily, ˈThe Times of Indiaˈ quoting Rohani wrote that Iranˈs newly elected president pledged Monday to follow a ˈpath of moderationˈˈ and promised greater openness over the countryˈs nuclear program. It further wrote that Rohani used his first news conference to sketch out views that are likely to be further welcomed in the West as possible opportunities to ease tensions, led by those stemming from Tehranˈs disputed nuclear program. Another leading English daily, ˈHindustan Timesˈ while quoting Rohani wrote that addressing his first press conference since winning the vote, he said there would be no change in Iranˈs longstanding alliance with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian government must be respected by other countries until the next elections and then it is up to the people to decide,ˈ the paper wrote quoting Rohani as saying, referring to Assadˈs term of office which does not expire until 2014. ˈThe Hinduˈ, another leading English daily wrote that Iranian president-elect vowed to pursue moderate policies during his first press conference on Monday. “This was more than an election, it was a call by the majority of the people for moderation and respect, and against extremism. Iran has started a new chapter of moderation,” Rohani told reporters in Tehran, the paper wrote./end