In Iran, Embattled Leaders Use Opposition Manifesto To Speak Out

[maddezmom]

February 27, 2011
There's still no word from Iranian opposition leaders Mir Hossein Musavi and Mehdi Karubbi -- under house arrest since February 14 -- but the two spoke out on February 23 by signing a heavily debated opposition manifesto calling for political reform.

While Musavi has long supported the manifesto, the signature of popular opposition leader and cleric Karubbi is a first for the document, which is being circulated by the main opposition Green Movement.

The charter is meant to explain the identity and goals of the Green Movement. It also calls for a representative government, limits executive powers, fully supports the demands and legitimacy of the women's movement, ensures protection for the country's numerous religious and ethnic minorities while also addressing the needs of workers, farmers, and servicemen.

Musavi adviser Ardeshir Amir Arjomand told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in an interview last week that this was "definitely not the final version" of the charter, which, he said, was "meant to evolve along with the opposition movement itself."

more:http://www.rferl.org/content/iran_opposition_figures_speak_out/2322331.html