Earlier some mediators suggested Rafsanjani's return for leading Friday Prayers and requested for the attendance of Ahmadinejad at the Expediency Council meetings as a mark of unity within the country's ruling establishment.
In an interview with Khabar Online, Badamchian who is the deputy secretary general of the Iran's Islamic Coalition Party opined that Rafsanjani, Head of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Council and Ahmadinejad are not disagreed on the basic issues regarding the country, although they are not agreed on some others.
In the aftermath of the late Iranian disputed presidential election on June 12, the conflict between the two figures deepened. In the meantime Ahmadinejad has not participated at the Expediency Council sessions and Rafsanjani has not led the Friday Prayers since July 17.
Badamchian believes that attending the Expediency Council meetings is a duty for the President which should be performed. In what follows he draws on the differences between Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad in respect to their responsibilities:
As a way of removing the disagreements between Messrs. Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad occurred after the presidential election, and creating unity within the establishment some proposed that the former must return to lead Friday Prayers and the latter must attend the meetings of the Expediency Council. What's your view about the proposal?
I think making such a proposal is incorrect, since handling the ruling affairs of the country is not like a deal. Friday Prayers proceedings are determined by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who orders people to attend the religious ceremony. Also worshipers of the Friday Prayers are led by the one who is assigned by the Supreme Leader.
On the issue of attending the sessions of the Expediency Council I would say that everyone who is the member of the council must participate at the meeting. If Mr. Ahmadinejad does not attend the sessions, it means that he has shunned a duty and responsibility. We cannot order him to fulfill his duty! It's not like a deal, to give something and receiving something else. For example I cannot say I won't attend the Parliament (Majlis) because I have differences with a parliamentary fraction there. Therefore fullfilling your responsibilities should not be conditioned by political differences and election disputes.
But it is being said that while the president cites a busy schedule for his absence at the meetings of the Expediency Council, the main reason is his political friction with Mr. Rafsanjani.
The members of the expediency Council have various political ideas and some prefer not to attend its sessions. Earlier Mr. Mahdi Karroubi [former Parliament Speaker and current protest leader] was a member of the council, but he opted to resign. Also at a time, Mr. Mir Hossein Mousavi [former Prime Minister and current protest leader] was absent from the council's meetings, later he participated at the sessions but we have heard that he has preferred once again to avoid going there. It's the responsibility on the shoulder of the political figures regardless of their differences.
You said that it's a responsibility of political figures. So how can they be asked to participate at the joint sessions including those of the Expediency Council which may bring the post-election disputes to an end and create a unity between different political factions?
In my view there is no difference between for example Messrs. Rafsanjani and Ahmadinejad on the overall issues regarding the Islamic Republic. In case of the recent report of International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA on the nuclear program of the country, they both took the same stance, so their opinions on major issues do not differ, but there are disagreements on the ways of ruling the country. At times some aggrandize the differences to an extent seeming that the problem is so crucial and don't take their same positions into account.
Even it's not important that they disagree on their methods. But it is important that each of them fulfill his responsibility in ruling the country. Regardless of different opinions the President [it doesn't matter who is he] should be backed and respected. The same is true for head of the Expediency Council. Mr. Rafsanjani is a key and veteran figure of the Islamic establishment who has served the Revolution for more than 50 years and it's not fair to ignore his works. However all must perform the duties under the commands of the Supreme Leader, but it's wrong that some want to turn the minor differences into the basic problems and challenges. In recent years such disputes have occurred, but nothing has happened. Even after that nothing will damage the establishment.
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