With hours left until the inauguration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the US president and some of his European counterparts join Germany in refusing to congratulate the Iranian official.
US President Barack Obama on Tuesday clarified Washington’s stance with regards to the disputed re-election of Ahmadinejad as Iran’s president.
“I don’t have any reason to believe we will send any letter [to congratulate the Iranian president],” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for his part, is set to snub President Ahmadinejad after he is inaugurated on Wednesday.
“There is no plan to send any message,” an official at the Elysee Palace told Reuters.
In addition, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not send a congratulatory message to Ahmadinejad, who, according to official election results, garnered almost two-thirds of the votes.
“The prime minister will not be writing to congratulate Mr. Ahmadinejad,” a spokesman said on Tuesday.
The political brush-offs follow an earlier snub by Germany on Monday saying that Chancellor Angela Merkel will not send a customary congratulatory letter to the Iranian official.
