QOM The 13th nationwide conference of Friday prayer leaders opened in the holy city of Qom on Monday in the presence of President Mohammad Khatami. President Khatami said the Friday prayer congregation is a venue for discussing fundamental issues and promotion of ethical and religious beliefs. He said the Firday prayers leaders are appointed by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and the Leader is the pivot of the Islamic system and symbol of national sovereignty.

The president said the Leader is beyond the different tastes or tendencies. The Firday prayers should also be the same. He said, ``Difference of opinion or tastes is natural. What is important is that we should have a system in which difference of opinion can lead to the elevation of society rather than destruction and this would be possible by honoring the constitution.'' The constitution has defined the scope of rights of individuals, authority and responsibility of the government, so that the Islamic Republic of Iran is an integrated and coordinated system in which the difference of opinion would serve to develop the society.

``Expressing specific way of thinking could promote the understanding of the people, the real owners of the Islamic Revolution, but, what is the matter is that one way of thinking should not be regarded as being in line with Islam and the other against Islam,''the president noted. (IRNA)