Iranian ppposition leader Mirhossein Mousavi today called for continued protests over Iran's disputed June election, two days after MPs backed most of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's new government ministers.
Mr Mousavi, remaining defiant over a poll he says was rigged in favour of the hardline president, urged his supporters to create a wide opposition network using meetings such as family and union gatherings, as well as sporting and cultural events.
"In order to achieve our cause, I do not recommend anything but the pursuit of the green path of hope which you have followed in the past few months . . . through small and large gatherings," he said in a statement on a reformist website.
Green was the colour of Mr Mousavi's election campaign and was also used during the huge opposition protests that followed the vote.
"It is up to your friends to not betray the confidence . . . created in the struggle against the cheaters and the liars," said Mr Mousavi, who repeated allegations of "organised violations and fraud".
The authorities reject opposition charges of rigging in the election almost three months ago, which plunged Iran into its deepest internal crisis since the 1979 Islamic revolution and exposed deepening establishment divisions.
Bolstering his position after weeks of post-election turmoil, parliament on Thursday approved 18 out of Mr Ahmadinejad's proposed 21 ministers in his new cabinet, which is due to hold its first meeting on Sunday in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
But Mr Mousavi's statement was a sign the president would face continued pressure from his moderate opponents, who regard his government as illegitimate.
Last month, Iran began mass trials of leading reformers and Mousavi allies, accused of fomenting street unrest after the election in a bid to undermine the Islamic Republic's clerical leadership.
Hardliners have called for the arrests of Mr Mousavi and pro-reform cleric Mehdi Karoubi, who have both said some opposition protesters have been raped and abused in jail.
Reuters