IAP Political Forum

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's former top nuclear negotiator said Wednesday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's policies were turning more countries against Iran and had failed to fix the nation's ailing economy, in unusually sharp criticism of the hard-line leader.

Hasan Rowhani was replaced as nuclear negotiator when Ahmadinejad came to office in 2005, but he remains a high-ranking figure in Iran's leadership, as a member of the country's Supreme National Security Council and of two cleric-run bodies, the Experts Assembly and the Expediency Council.

Rowhani has spoken little in public since he was removed from his position. During his time as nuclear negotiator, he helped seal a deal with the Europeans under which Iran suspended uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities as a gesture to the West.

After Rowhani was replaced by hard-line negotiators, Iran resumed those activities and has been pushing ahead with them, despite U.N. sanctions and resolutions demanding they be halted.

Rowhani made his comments in a speech Wednesday to the pro-reform Moderation and Development Party. He did not directly mention Ahmadinejad, but was clearly referring to his policies.

"On the international stage, we are under threat more than any other time. The country's diplomacy will be successful if it doesn't allow the enemy to win the backing of other countries against us," he said.

"Unfortunately, the number of our enemies are increasing. Up to yesterday, Britain stood by the U.S., but now France has joined the United States more closely," he said.

Rowhani said "the degree of toleration among some officials is low. We can't reach adequate national unity with so much short-sightedness." He said important policy decisions had been "given to one group or a few individuals. The views and opinions of others must be sought too."

On the economy, Rowhani said that despite high oil prices, "we don't see a healthy and dynamic economy ... If we had an accurate and comprehensive plan, most of the country's problems could have been resolvable."

Rowhani's quotes were reported by the semi-official ISNA and Mehr news agencies and confirmed to The Associated Press by party members attending the speech.

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