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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Iran leader cancels Africa visit | Iran leader cancels Africa visit |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cancelled his trip to an African Union summit in Libya, officials in Tehran say. | Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cancelled his trip to an African Union summit in Libya, officials in Tehran say. |
| Mr Ahmadinejad's office did not give any reason for the decision. | Mr Ahmadinejad's office did not give any reason for the decision. |
| His visit would have been one of his first major public appearances abroad since his re-election in Iran's disputed poll last month. | His visit would have been one of his first major public appearances abroad since his re-election in Iran's disputed poll last month. |
| The opposition has staged mass protests, saying the poll was rigged. The authorities deny the claim. | The opposition has staged mass protests, saying the poll was rigged. The authorities deny the claim. |
| Some 17 people are thought to have died during opposition street rallies. | Some 17 people are thought to have died during opposition street rallies. |
| On Monday, Iran's top electoral body, the Guardian Council, confirmed Mr Ahmadinejad's victory after a partial recount. | On Monday, Iran's top electoral body, the Guardian Council, confirmed Mr Ahmadinejad's victory after a partial recount. |
| His main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has said the whole election should be annulled and held again. | His main challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, has said the whole election should be annulled and held again. |
| On Wednesday, another defeated candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, said Mr Ahmadinejad's government was illegitimate. | On Wednesday, another defeated candidate, Mehdi Karoubi, said Mr Ahmadinejad's government was illegitimate. |
| The BBC's Rana Jawad in Libya says some African Union officials had feared that Mr Ahmadinejad's appearance at the three-day summit could have overshadowed the African issues on the agenda. | The BBC's Rana Jawad in Libya says some African Union officials had feared that Mr Ahmadinejad's appearance at the three-day summit could have overshadowed the African issues on the agenda. |
| These include: | |
| • the request from Somalia's embattled transitional government for military support to fight hardline Islamists | |
| • Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's plans for a "United States of Africa" with a single currency and army | |
| • ways of boosting investment in agriculture and improving food security across Africa. |