As Ahmadinejad began work to set up his new government after his inauguration Wednesday, while facing continuing protests over his re-election and divisions even within his own hard-line support base, the re-elected Iranian president received another embarrassing snub from Europe.

"No, the European Commission has not sent a congratulatory message and does not intend to do so," Commission spokesman Amadeu Altafaj Tardio told reporters in Brussels.

The EU executive arm's stance is in line with Washington's.

EU members including France and Britain have also refused to congratulate the Iranian leader on his return to power.

Many foreign envoys, including the British, French and Swedish ambassadors, attended Wednesday's swearing-in ceremony but the European Commission was not represented.

"Hard-headed diplomacy" is required in dealings with the country, the British Foreign Office said.

Ahmadinejad's second term as Iran's president comes after widespread protests following the June 12 vote which sparked the worst crisis for the Islamic republic in its 30-year existence.

Mass executions roundly condemned

The 52-year-old Ahmadinejad enjoyed a landslide election victory which opposition supporters, and many international observers, said was rigged.

Earlier Thursday the Swedish EU presidency condemned Iran's recent hanging of 24 people, one of the biggest mass executions in the country.

In a statement, the EU presidency said it "is concerned about the continued large-scale use of the death penalty in Iran, including the repeated incidence of collective executions during the past month.

The presidency continues to call on the Iranian authorities to abolish the death penalty completely and, in the meantime, to establish a moratorium on executions," the statement continued.

Last week Iran hanged 24 convicted drug traffickers in a prison in Karaj, according to a deputy Tehran prosecutor.

Sweden defends ambassador's attendance

Sweden also defended its decision to send a high-ranking diplomat to Ahmadinejad's swearing-in ceremony.

Foreign Minister Carl Bildt defended his country's controversial decision to send Magnus Wernstedt, while other EU countries sent relatively low-ranking diplomats.

"We always have our ambassador on site in every possible country, regardless of the regime in question," Bildt told Swedish broadcaster SR. "As an observer, they are better when they are present than when they are absent."

nda/AFP/AP/dpa

Editor: Susan Houlton