TEHRAN Two MPs here yesterday commented on the recent move of the 2nd Khordad faction of the Majlis in meeting with high-ranking officials of the country.

Head of Parliament's 2nd Khordad faction announced on Monday that the meetings between the members of the faction and high-ranking officials of the country aim to remove distrust and tension in the country.

The faction has already met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Head of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The members are to further meet with the Majlis Speaker Mahdi Karrubi and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi.

Various comments have been made on the move, criticizing and encouraging the faction for such an initiative.

Reuters for instance called it a move of the 2nd Khordad Front to establish peace with right-wingers, saying that the move is to save Khatami's reforms. Reuters in its report ommitted names of the president and Majlis speaker to divert the attention of the readers from the fact that there is no factional motive behind Mohtashamipour's move.

Talking to the TEHRAN TIMES, a Majlis representative from Qaenat and a member of the Judicial Commission of the Parliament said that the 2nd Khordad faction is holding the meetings just to achieve its own goals. "Otherwise, there would be no need for a meeting with executive and high-ranking bodies," said Mousa Qorbani.

"To remove obstacles in the way of unity among political parties, rival groups should meet," said the cleric MP, adding that meetings with executive bodies can only mean a means of gaining one's goals.

He further recommended that the parties should meet and plan for solidarity and understanding among them. "But," Qorbani reminded, "the 2nd Khordad Front should know that it cannot do anything it wishes and that it should tolerate the opposition too." Contrary to Qorbani, another MP from Iranshahr and a member of the 2nd Khordad faction of Parliament supported the act, saying that the meetings are held in order to have ideas from officials for establishing brotherhood and solidarity.

Nour-Mohammad Robousheh said, "I hope everyone accepts the realities of the society and goes in line with the guidelines of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and abides by the Constitution.

Expressing optimism over the act of the 2nd Khordad faction, Robousheh said if important parties are united and move in the same direction, reforms could be achieved more easily in the society. He recommended that the right-wingers should also help remove differences and contribute to the success and durability of the system.

Robousheh said further that the 2nd Khordad Front is brother to its other political rivals and differences between groups are not fundamental. He underlined that differences are in taste and understanding and said he hoped that even such differences would be removed this way.