Iranian reform party welcomes February 14 rally

The Iranian reformist organization Islamic Iran Participation Front is urging people to join the February 14 rally in support of the Arab uprisings, so long as the government issues a permit.

Islamic Iran Participation Front welcomed the decision by Iran's opposition leaders to stage a demonstration in support of the "democracy-seeking uprisings of the region," calling it a sign of "unity and solidarity of the Iranian people with the people of Tunisia and Egypt," Norooz website reports.

Accused of "activities against national security and propaganda against the regime", the Participation Front is one of the reformist parties that have been banned from political activity in the past year and a half, part of a crackdown on protests against the re-election of Ahmadinejad in Iran.

The reformist group says the Islamic Republic authorities are faced with a "decisive test" that could become a "starting point in resolving the recent political disputes through calm dialogue based on legal provisions."

The reform group argues that denying Iranian people their protest would "completely invalidate all of the Iranian government claims of support for the uprising of the people of Tunisia and Egypt."

Opposition leaders MirHosein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi have written to the ministry of the interior for an official permit to stage the rally on February 14.

Over the past 20 months, the opposition has applied for peaceful demonstration permits on several different occasions, but the government has refused to let the opposition rally its supporters.