Supreme Leader advises officials to maintain unity

TEHRAN,Feb.17(MNA) – Commenting on a dispute between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani during an open session of the Majlis on February 3 ,Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei advised the heads of the three branches of government to maintain unity. The Leader made the remarks during an address to thousands of people from the city of Tabriz, the capital of the northwestern Iranian province of East Azarbaijan, during a meeting in Tehran on Saturday. “Unfortunately, in the incident, the head of one branch leveled allegations against the two other branches, namely the Majlis and the Judiciary, which was a wrong and inappropriate move that was against the shariah (Islamic law), law, and morality,” he said. The Leader added, “The defense of the respected Majlis speaker was excessive and was not necessary.” However, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that his own criticism of officials should not provide a pretext for others to chant slogans against them. He was referring to the incident that occurred in the holy city of Qom on February 10, in which a number of individuals pelted Larijani with shoes and prayer tablets, forcing him to cut his speech short on the 34th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.