TEHRAN, June 26 (UPI) -- Defeated Iranian presidential candidate Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Sunday urged Iranians to support president-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
In a message to the people, the former Iraqi president from 1989 to 1997 said he hoped the new president will handle his responsibilities successfully and to fulfill his promises, calling on all to help Ahmadinejad "for the service of the people."
The Tehran mayor defeated the more moderate Rafsanjani in Friday's run-off.
Meanwhile, the president-elect received cables of congratulations from Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Morocco's King Mohammad VI, prince of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, as well as from Kuwait's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammad al-Sabah.
