On December 13, 2010, the president dismissed Mottaki from his post while he was away on a diplomatic mission in Senegal. The move provoked criticism from the parliamentarians who believed Mottaki was not removed courteously.
In addition, on April 17, 2011, Ahmadinejad accepted Moslehi’s resignation, but it was rejected by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The president did not appear in public for 11 days.
Later, certain media outlets reported that Ahmadinejad insisted on his decision to accept the intelligence minister’s resignation. But the president reaffirmed his allegiance to the principle of velayat-e faqih (rule of the supreme jurisprudent) during a cabinet meeting on May 1, 2011.
Speaking to the Mehr News Agency on Saturday, Motahhari said, “The reason behind the president’s 11-day resistance (to accept) the decree issued by the Leader of the Revolution in which he reinstated Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi and the way former foreign minister Mottaki was dismissed, are two issues that the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has been assigned to investigate.”
Asked if the president himself will certainly attend the committee session, Motahhari said, “According to the parliamentary internal bylaws, the president’s representative attends the specialized committee (session), but it seems that the committee’s presiding board has decided that the president himself answer (questions) due to the significance of these two issues.”
However, Ahmadinejad will set off on a five-day tour of the Latin American countries of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Ecuador on Sunday, January 8.
In addition, in a recent interview with the Mehr, MP Hossein Sobhaninia of the Majlis Presiding Board, said, “It would be preferred if the president himself could attend the committee (session) and answer (Majlis) representatives’ questions. However, if he is not willing, he can send his representative.”
According to the Mehr, if answers do not satisfy MPs, the motion calling for the president to be questioned will be submitted to the Majlis Presiding Board so that it could be discussed at an open session of the Majlis.
The president must then appear before the parliament within a month to answer questions.
MP Hossein Ebrahimi also told the Fars News Agency on Tuesday, “The president is scheduled to travel to Latin America, and therefore will not be in Iran (on Tuesday).”
However, his representative will attend the session, he added.
EP/PA
END
MNA