Tehran rejects Bush's call for freedom of Iranian people

TEHRAN, Feb 3 (AFP) - Iran on Thursday rejected US President George W. Bush's call for freedom directed at the Iranian people as misguided and ignorant of the Islamic republic's history.
"Mr Bush has forgotten that the great Iranian people, through the Islamic revolution 26 years ago, put an end to the dominant influence and presence of the United States in Iran," said foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
The spokesman, quoted by the state news agency IRNA, said the US president was "closing his eyes to the realities of the Islamic republic with its deep-rooted freedom and democracy".
Bush's comments had "nothing to do with Iran's vibrant society" and only served "to further discredit the American government".
The president, in his State of the Union address on Wednesday, charged that Iran "remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror -- pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve".
"To the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you," he said.

02/03/2005 11:48 GMT - AFP