Khatami At Harvard
The Boston Herald has an article about former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami's visit to Harvard. There were about 200 protesters outside the hall, and not too much serious grilling for him, although it appears some people did call him on some actions of the government of his country.
Despite his regime’s official U.S. designation as an oppressive sponsor of terrorism, Khatami repeatedly condemned terrorism and extolled democracy. There was little discussion of Iran’s controversial nuclear program or its support for Shiite militias in Iraq.
Khatami joined the rest of the audience and stood for a moment of silence for Sept. 11 victims and condemned the attacks as “barbaric and savage acts.”
“I express my deepest sympathies with the families of the victims,” he said, those words followed by audience applause.
In response to an audience question, he said he wants to see Osama bin Laden captured.
“I have my problems with him,” he said. But he criticized the United States for going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“My government was in opposition to the way Afghanistan and Iraq were dealt with,” he said. “There are other ways we could have battled dictatorial regimes. Unfortunately, Iraq has turned into a focal point for violence and terrorists.”
Khatami faced several pointed questions about Iran’s support for the anti-Israel Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which the United States has branded a terrorist organization.
“You’ve said you love Hezbollah,” asked a Harvard senior. “Do you still feel that way today?”
Khatami denied Iran had given aid to Hezbollah and painted the terror group as “a symbol of Lebanese resistance.”
His regime still abused and supressed people and his protests ring hollow to my ear. I'm also quite sure some people bought every word he said without question. The difference, of course, is that here he could say what he did without reprecussion. One rather doubts the same freedom of speech is tolerated in his country today. After all, it was not while he was president there.
