Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 9 / Trend M. Moezzi /
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's former president, said society wants him more involved in political issues but he doesn't want to add to conflicts because the country is at a "critical juncture".
Rafsanjani, who is the chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council, made the comments to the Association of Non-government Newspapers' members, Mehr news agency reports.
The former president of Iran said people who want the Expediency Council to play a more active role in political issues and in resolving the country's problems don't have a correct understanding of the Council's responsibilities.
The Expediency Council, Rafsanjani said, is tasked with "resolving differences between the parliament and the Guardian Council", "creating general policies in different areas and referring them to Iran's Supreme Leader for approval," and "involvement in problems that the Supreme Leader refers to the Council" but it has no executive power.
As for getting involved in the current issues Iran is facing today, the "critical juncture" the country is at today doesn't allow to him to add to political differences.
The Council's Chairman emphasized the importance of protecting the media's independence and lamented the financial problems independent newspapers face.
Established in1988, the Expediency Council is to have an advisory role for the Supreme Leader.