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Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's second term of four years carries the scars of a major credibility problem that can be either healed or worsened in the coming weeks and months, depending on how the government responds to the need for reconciliation with opposition groups....Rafsanjani's much-anticipated Friday prayer sermon this week will likely generate another boost for the reformists and their call for the release of all prisoners. The test for Rafsanjani, who has yet to congratulate Ahmadinejad for his electoral victory, is how to press the demands of the reformists while at the same time playing an effective mediating role and a vital bridge over the great chasm that has opened since the presidential elections on June 12.
...Instead of a "flash point" as anticipated in the US media, with adequate preparatory dialogue and "reaching out" to both sides, Rafsanjani's sermon could mark a turning point whereby a new mood of reconciliation replaces the current volatile political atmosphere... In addition to Rafsanjani, Rezaii's role is also key, in light of his expressed willingness to criticize bo... >>>