Rival wins seat, plays down row with Iran president

QOM, Iran (Reuters) - Former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Saturday celebrated winning a seat in Iran's parliament by saying he differed with the president over style not substance and that he would work with the government.

Larijani quit his post last year citing differences with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad about how to handle Iran's dispute with the West over its nuclear program. The president has taken a notably combative line.

Speaking in Qom, the city where he won a seat in Friday's election, Larijani offered to cooperate with the government and said he had no ideological dispute with Ahmadinejad.

"We have no confrontation of any kind with Mr Ahmadinejad and we pursue a path of cooperation between parliament and the government," Larijani told a news conference.

But analysts say the former negotiator is eyeing next year's presidential race after losing to Ahmadinejad in 2005 and could use his role as lawmaker as a springboard for any bid.

Asked if he would vie for the top post of speaker in the new parliament, Larijani said he would leave that to the assembly.

Conservatives, who count Larijani in their ranks, are expected to retain control of the 290-seat assembly, based on partial results. Many reformists, who are staunchly opposed to Ahmadinejad, were barred from running.

But conservatives are a broad camp, spanning radical revolutionary backers of Ahmadinejad and rivals to the president like Larijani. So a conservative win does not mean an easy ride for Ahmadinejad, whose failure to control inflation has drawn mounting criticism inside and outside parliament.

NEGOTIATIONS

"We have no differences with Mr Ahmadinejad in respect to ideological issues. There might be some differences with respect to the approach to management," Larijani said, referring to what he called "differences in style".

Few Iranians, even bitter opponents of the president, question Iran's pursuit of nuclear technology which Tehran says is peaceful, but the West suspects is aimed at building bombs.

Yet even some conservatives wonder if Ahmadinejad's speeches lambasting the West help Iran's cause in the U.N. Security Council, which recently imposed a third round of sanctions on Tehran.

Some on the streets of Qom reflected that view.

"If I am to choose between Ahmadinejad and Larijani's approach, I would ultimately go with Larijani because I believe negotiations -- and not surrendering -- will eventually serve us better," said Mohsen Seiyedi, a 40-year-old cleric.

Ultimately nuclear and other major policy issues are determined not by the president or parliament but by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's top authority.

Other conservative sympathisers in Qom questioned Ahmadinejad's management, noting inflation surged to 19 percent.

"There have been mistakes (by the government). It has adopted a different economic approach from other governments," said Saeed Abouzar Hosseini, a 29-year-old cleric in Qom.

Larijani said the new parliament would "listen to the needs of society and take practical steps towards their resolution".

Asked about any possible U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, he said: "It is our understanding that they have no interest in sticking their hand into a beehive."

(Writing by Edmund Blair, editing by Tim Pearce)