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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Iran President Names Woman To Top Environmental Position

From Staff And Wire Reports

Iran’s new president has appointed a woman to be his vice president for environmental affairs, according to the Iran News.

If the report is confirmed, she would be the first woman to serve in a high-ranking government position since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.

The English-language daily reported Saturday that Mohammad Khatami had named Massoumeh Ebtekar, a U.S.-educated woman who represented Iran at the Beijing women’s conference two years ago, to the vice presidency.

Khatami’s nominees as vice presidents and aides do not require approval of the Majlis, or parliament.

But Cabinet ministers will require a majority vote in the Majlis, where hard-liners have a slight majority. Several deputies have said they will challenge candidates they feel would undermine the Iran’s Islamic traditions.

Khatami did not present the names of his Cabinet nominees at Sunday’s parliament session. The next meeting is Tuesday, but it was not clear whether he would provide the list then.

Khatami won a landslide victory against a hard-line rival in May 23 elections to become the fifth elected president since the revolution. His predecessor, Hashemi Rafsanjani, stepped down after eight years in office.