Larijani criticizes the way FM Mottaki was fired

TEHRAN, Dec. 20(MNA) -- Officials are still commenting on the recent removal of Manouchehr Mottaki from the post of foreign minister.

On December 13, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad abruptly dismissed Mottaki from his post while he was away on a diplomatic mission in Senegal and appointed Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi as the acting foreign minister.

Majlis speaker Ali Larijani disapproved of the way Mottaki was removed and said the removal should have been done with prudence and dignity.

“If they had planned to replace the foreign minster, it was better that they would have made the change prudently and respectfully, and not in the middle his visit (to Senegal),” Larijani said on Sunday.

Mottaki commented on his dismissal on Sunday, describing it as “undiplomatic and offensive.” Mottaki also rejected remarks that he had been informed about his removal before his official visit to Senegal.

Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi said on Saturday that Mottaki knew he was going to be replaced ahead of his Africa trip.

President’s senior advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi also said on Sunday that Mottaki “had expressed his readiness for the change.”