Iranian President Mohammed Khatami vowed on Sunday to put more energy into reform programs he initiated during his previous term, reported the official Iranian news agency, IRNA, on Monday.
Khatami, who was speaking at a festival to honor state employees, reiterated the commitment of his new administration to reconstruct the economic and administrative systems of the country.
He also urged the establishment of social justice and stressed the need for up-to-date expertise in drawing up the country's general policies, but at the same time said that “such changes need time to materialize.”
"Implementing administrative reforms would undoubtedly involve high costs and require adopting austerity measures as is usual in the world," he said, adding "but in my previous administration no state subsidies were cut, no pressure was brought to bear on the public, and reliance on foreign resources to push through with reform campaigns was kept to a minimum.”
"There was an urge to respect democratic norms, and to realize the legitimate liberties of the people over the past four years," he added.
Khatami was elected president for a second term in a 77 percent landslide victory last June, giving an impetus to continue the reform programs for which he has been campaigning over the last four years – Albawaba.com
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