TEHRAN – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged the government on Saturday to implement the economic reform plan carefully and “without haste”.

“The outline of the economic reform plan is acceptable. This very important work should be carried out but without haste,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and his cabinet.
“The reform plan is a major step towards the country’s development but a hasty implementation of the plan will create dangers and losses, thus the outlooks and results of implementing the plan should be considered and the ways to prevent or control negative results should be devised.”
“If implementing a part of the plan is inflationary some solutions should be provided to prevent this issue or control its negative results.”
The Supreme Leader said, “If we want our country to become a role model for others, we should focus on development and justice at the same time.”
He said, “The fourth decade since the 1979 Islamic Revolution is the decade of development and justice.”
“The 20-Year Outlook Plan is the real road to Iran’s progress and the activities of different organizations should be directed towards this plan,” Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.
He also called for the “correct and full implementation” of the Article 44 of the Constitutions which calls for the privatization of state-run companies.
The Leader blamed the critics of the Ahmadinejad administration for lacking information or feeling personal animosity towards the government.
“The Ahmadinejad administration has come under domestic and foreign criticism more than previous governments… some of these people feel no animosity but they are ignorant or lack information…But some of them… feel an old animosity towards Imam (Khomeini), therefore they are trying to undermine the government.”
He also called on the government to develop closer cooperation with academics and other branches of the government.
Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed support for the government’s position on Iran’s nuclear standoff with the West, saying, “Some oppressive and rude countries wanted to impose their will on Iran but the president and his administration stood up to their exorbitant demands and moved forward.