Iran`s Rohani calls for close cooperation between parliament and administration

TEHRAN,July 16(MNA) – Iranian President-elect Hassan Rohani called for close cooperation between the administration and the parliament in efforts to overcome problems at home and abroad. “Undoubtedly, the country’s problems would not be resolved without the cooperation between the Majlis and the executive body,” Rohani said during his first meeting with parliamentarians late on Sunday. He added that his administration will not misinform the parliament with “inaccurate statistics”. Rohani will take office in August. He also leveled some criticism against the incumbent administration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying that it has mismanaged the national economy. Rohani emphasized that part of the current problems are a result of mismanagement and some are due to “cruel” pressure exerted from outside, a reference to the Western-led economic sanctions against the country. “This is the first time after the imposed war (1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war) that the economic growth rate is negative for two consecutive years,” Rohani said, adding that Iran is experiencing the highest inflation rate in the region and maybe in the whole world, which he said actually stands at 42 percent. He added that between the years 2006 to 2012 only an average 14,000 jobs were created annually by the government. Elsewhere in his remarks, Rohani said that using harsh rhetoric against enemies will not solve the country’s problems, adding that efforts should be made to understand the enemy and their plots and to take the measures necessary to foil those plots. He also said that the next administration will have three priceless assets: the people’s support and trust, the support of the Supreme Leader, and the cooperation and backing of the legislative and judicial branches of the government. Larijani calls for national unity Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani welcomed Rohani to the parliament, saying that the country is now in need of unity more than any other time. He later briefed Rohani and provided him an overview of major issues in the country. On Iran’s nuclear issue, he said that the Iranian nation is united to pursue their nuclear rights and called on Rohani to actively defend the people’s right to nuclear energy. Larijani said economy should be high on the agenda of the next administration as the country is suffering from many problems in this area such as high inflation rate and economic downturn, which he said could be solved through taking prudent and practical measures. He also emphasized that the parliament will support Rohani and his administration, calling for more meetings between the officials of the two branches.