Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "this signature is heavy for me" when he signed the oath document at a swearing-in ceremony held in the Majlis (Parliament) in Tehran on Saturday, which vividly symbolized the fact that his term of office started with difficulties, challenges and expectations.

The beginning days of the new president would be haunted with the nuclear standoff, to which a diplomatic solution now seems unprecedented remote. Local analysts believe that it has become Ahmadinejad's most urgent case to cope with.

Just one day before Ahmadinejad took oath, the European trio of Britain, France and Germany submitted a comprehensive nuclear proposal, urging Tehran to accept or to face a referral of the case to the UN Security Council.

In the proposal, the EU asked Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program, which Tehran persistently insists can never be given up at any cost.

Iran, after scrutinies, termed the proposal as unacceptable and vowed to resume some suspended sensitive nuclear activities.

Ahmadinejad, a hardliner on the issue, is facing a hard job to defuse the looming crisis and secure Iran's claim of legal nuclear rights in the coming negotiations with the Europeans.

In the meantime, the new president also has to fight against the stagnant economy, unemployment and corruption as well as narrow the gap between the rich and the poor in the country.

Ahmadinejad pledged in his campaign to improve people's living condition and reallocate the oil revenues with an emphasis on social welfare.

Iranians of lower socioeconomic status, on whom Ahmadinejad depended to win the election victory, are naturally looking forward to more benefits from his administration.

However, analysts held that the tasks of developing economy and reallocating oil revenues would not be easy, and local media listed these missions as Ahmadinejad's No.1 domestic challenge.

As a well-known ultra-conservative, Ahmadinejad has openly advocated rigid tactics in international arena and stressed strict implementation of Islamic laws and morals in the Iranian's daily life, which, though appeals to some conservatives, also raises worries among many others.

On Thursday, an editorial published on the English-language daily Iran News, titled "Practice Pragmatism, Avoid Extremism," urged the new government to "recognize that Iranian society has changed beyond recognition during the past 27 years" and to avoid an "U-turn" in policies and upheavals in social, cultural and economic fields.

"The new government should keep in mind that this is 2005 and not 1979," the editorial stressed.

Additionally, the editorial also called on Ahmadinejad to "adopt a sensible and moderate approach toward the international community while protecting the country's sacred values and interests," warning him against a possible "catastrophic consequence" caused by isolation.

As to the routine task of cabinet nomination, Ahmadinejad also has some hesitations in the process.

It was reported that Ahmadinejad has put forward a multiple-choice cabinet list for the Majlis to make judgment, namely, more than one candidate for one ministerial post.

Iranian media termed this unprecedented nomination as "ill-advised," pointing out that Ahmadinejad was trying hard to please various interest groups within his camp.

In this regard, the new president was urged to be resolute and voice definite preferences, analysts said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2005)