White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Wednesday withdrew his remarks that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is "the elected leader," saying the Iranian people can decide whether the election is fair.
"Let me correct a little bit of what I said yesterday. I denoted that Mr. Ahmadinejad was the elected leader of Iran. I would say that is not for me to pass judgment on," the spokesman, who was accompanying President Barack Obama for a public speech in Indiana on Wednesday morning, told reporters on Air Force One.
"He has been inaugurated -- that's a fact. Whether any election was fair, obviously the Iranian people still have questions about that and we'll let them decide that," said Gibbs, who told reporters on Tuesday at the daily press briefing that the Obama administration views Ahmadinejad as "the elected leader."
Ahmadinejad, who claimed victory in a disputed presidential election on June 12, on Wednesday took the oath of office for a second term as Iran's head of state.
In the election, the authorities said the incumbent President Ahmadinejad won with some 62 percent of the total ballots, while his main rival Mir-Hossein Mousavi got about 34 percent.
Mousavi claimed there were clear "violations" in the election and appealed for a cancellation of the result. His supporters have staged massive demonstrations in Tehran and other cities.
Reports said some 10 people were killed during clashes between Iranian riot police and protesters questioning the election results, and that hundreds of protesters and politicians have been arrested since the election.
(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2009)
