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How Iran Covered the NAM Summit

In an overview of Iranian media coverage of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran, Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi describes subtle digs at the government, the portrayal of Mohammed Morsi’s criticisms of Syria and the official depictions of the Egyptian president’s NAM speech.
Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi (2nd R) speaks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2nd L) during the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, August 30, 2012. Picture taken August 30, 2012. REUTERS/Egyptian Presidency/Handout (IRANMILITARY - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The reformist daily newspaper Etemaad covered in some detail the story of how Mohammed Morsi’s criticisms of Syria have been marginalized in official depictions of the Egyptian president’s NAM speech. Etemaad, in stark contrast to other domestic media, also reported the Syrian prime minister’s walking out of the conference hall in protest of Morsi’s criticism of the Assad regime.

The Iranian organizers of NAM tried their utmost to frame Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s speech as the centerpiece of the summit, and the country’s political as well as military ruling elite were in attendance. Prominent reformist politicians were noticeably absent.

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