just kidding guys, "we like everyone"

Ahmedinejad, apparently convinced by someone that referring to large swaths (somewhere in, let's say, the hundreds of thousands) of his countrymen as "dust" and disappointed soccer fans was perhaps not the best idea, attempted to soften the barbs of his former remarks by issuing the following somewhat conciliatory statement:

I only addressed those who made riot, set fires and attacked people. Every single Iranian is valuable. The government is at everyone's service. We like everyone.

Meanwhile, however, increasing speculation about the fact that ahmedinejad has not been seen in public since monday suggests that he is not quite so confident that everyone likes him.