BEIRUT — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will rename Manoucher Mottaki as foreign minister, an adviser said Wednesday, a move that suggests the Islamic Republic will not harden its already tough posture in negotiating with the West.
Western officials have long said they would be reassured by the continued presence of Mottaki, a relatively soft-spoken and experienced diplomat.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Assad arrived in Tehran to meet with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Assad reportedly is the second head of state to visit Iran since Ahmadinejad’s disputed June 12 re-election, which sparked weeks of unrest and violence.
Ahmadinejad was required by law to formally submit the names of his Cabinet nominees to lawmakers Wednesday but had not done so by the time they finished work in the evening. The delay suggested disarray within his administration; even the list of names released by the aide was incomplete.
Lawmakers will debate the Cabinet’s merits next week ahead of an Aug. 30 vote of confidence. A rejection of the lineup could further weaken a president already considered illegitimate by some Iranians after the disputed election.
Parliamentarians already are girding for a fight over the Cabinet, complaining Ahmadinejad failed to confer with them on nominees beforehand.
