Iran Accuses UN Chief of Meddling in Election Dispute

Iran is accusing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of meddling in its affairs after he urged the Islamic state to stop its crackdown on opposition protesters.
Iranian state media quote the Foreign Ministry as saying Tuesday Mr. Ban is contradicting his duties and ignoring the facts about Iran's June 12 presidential election. Iran's government also accused the U.N. chief of being influenced by unspecified foreign powers.

Mr. Ban released a statement Monday urging Iran's conservative government and reformist opposition to peacefully resolve their dispute over this month's election. Official results gave a landslide victory to the conservative incumbent, Mahmoud Ahamdinejad.


Mr. Ban expressed dismay about Iran's post-election violence and urged Iranian authorities to "immediately stop" arrests and the use of force against opposition activists.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says Washington believes recent mass protests over the election mark the "beginnings of change" in Iran, as he put it.

U.S. President Barack Obama has sharpened his criticism of Iran's government in recent days while trying to avoid the appearance of meddling. He is expected to address Iran's political crisis again in a news conference Tuesday in the White House Rose Garden.

Some opposition Republican lawmakers have criticized Mr. Obama's handling of the issue, saying the he is not taking a strong enough stand.

Gibbs told the U.S. television network (NBC) Tuesday Mr. Obama does not want to become a "political football" that Iran's government uses against Iranians who seek justice. He says the Obama administration will not endorse Iranian opposition calls for a general strike.

In another development, several European nations summoned Iranian ambassadors Tuesday to condemn Iran's crackdown on the protests.

The French government says it summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris for the second time in eight days and complained about what it called Iran's "brutal repression" of demonstrators.

The Finnish government says it told Iran's ambassador to Finland that Tehran must release opposition leaders, recount votes and resolve the election dispute peacefully.

The Czech presidency of the European Union urged EU member states Monday to summon Iranian envoys to protest the crackdown.

Iranian officials have accused France, Britain, the United States and other Western nations of provoking Iran's post-election unrest - a charge they deny.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.