Israel's choice of Iranian-born president pleases Teheran

LONDON -- The 25,000 Jews in Iran have something to smile about.

The Jewish community -- reeling from the conviction of 10 Jews on charges of spying for Israel -- are pleased over the election of Israel's new president. Government officials in Teheran say they are as well.

Moshe Katsav, who was sworn in as president on Tuesday, emigrated from Iran in the 1950s.

The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat daily said on Wednesday that both Iranian Jews and officials in Teheran were pleased with Katsav's election. The newspaper quoted an Iranian Foreign Ministry official as saying that the election enlarged what he termed the "Iranian lobby" in the Israeli leadership.

The official said Foreign Ministery David Levy, who announced his resignation on Wednesday, is part of that lobby.

"We prefer that there be a president that is supportive of us, a man of Iranian extraction," the official said.

Earlier, the official Islamic Republic News Agency described Katsav as a Jew of Kurdish origin. But Iranian sources said the Katsav family comes from Teheran and Isfahan.

Katsav's election comes as Israel has sought to lower tension with Teheran amid progress in its intermediate-range Shihab-3 missile program. Iran launched a successful test of the Shihab-3 on July 15.