July 14, 2002	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 3, 1423

TEHRAN, July 13: An Iranian court has banned a pro-reform newspaper for publishing comments on the resignation of a liberal cleric.

Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri quit as Friday prayer leader in the central city of Isfahan this week, hitting out at alleged abuses of power among the clerical elite. Soon afterwards, the powerful Supreme National Security Council moved to smother the row by banning newspapers from publishing comment on the issue.

The Aftab-e-Yazd newspaper on Saturday quoted publisher Bijan Saf-Sari as saying the press court had banned his Azad daily for violating the order.

Analysts say conservatives entrenched in powerful state bodies have blocked much of President Mohammad Khata-mi’s drive to reform Iran along more liberal lines. Dozens of pro-reform newspapers have been banned in the last three years.

In a move apparently aimed at softening the impact of Taheri’s resignation, Khamenei said on Friday, that he understood some of the cleric’s concerns, but warned against any move which could help Iran’s enemies undermine Islamic rule.

A spokesman for Taheri — the only big-city prayer leader to back Khatami — said he would remain on the Experts Assembly, a body of 96 clerics whose job is to oversee the supreme leader. Taheri appealed for calm and said no one should try to make political capital out of his criticisms, newspapers said.

Azad’s publisher Saf-Sari complained that other newspapers which commented on the issue, including conservative newspapers which condemned Taheri’s critique, were not touched.—Reuters