KHATAMI HOPES HIS TOUR WOULD BOLSTER IRAN'S
TIES WITH THREE NATIONS
BBC Monitoring International Reports - March 7, 2005
Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA web site
Tehran, 7 March: President Mohammad Khatami here on Monday (7 March) expressed
the hope that his visits to Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, and Venezuela will
open a new chapter in Iran's relations with those countries.
Talking to reporters prior to his departure for Zagreb, Croatia, he said his
visits are in response to previous visits to Iran by senior officials of those
countries.
Referring to Iran's amicable ties with Croatia and Bosnia, Khatami said Tehran
has been interested in establishment of security and tranquillity in the two
countries after their independence.
As to Iran's help in reconstruction of the two countries, he said great efforts
were made by Tehran to settle the critical situations in those two states.
The Iranian president also expressed the hope that the agreements to be inked
during his visits will help further expand bilateral cooperation between Iran
and the two countries.
Referring to his trip to Venezuela as the third leg of his tour, he said
President Hugo Chavez visited Iran four times.
He said that a tractor manufacturing factory with the capacity of manufacturing
5,000 tractors a year will be inaugurated during his imminent visit to
Venezuela.
President Chavez is interested in the investment of Iranian companies in
different fields, particularly the small industries and petrochemicals, in his
country, Khatami added.
He expressed the hope that Tehran-Caracas relations will further bolster in the
near future.
Khatami left Tehran on Monday for Zagreb as the first leg of his three-nation
tour which will also take him to Bosnia and Hercegovina and Venezuela.
Before his departure, Khatami was officially seen off by head of the Supreme
Leader's Office Hojjat ol-Eslam Gholam Hossein Mohammadi-Golpayegani and First
Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref.
Khatami's visit is taking place at the official invitations of the presidents of
the three countries.
This is Khatami's first visit to Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina since he
took office in 1997.
During his six-day tour, Khatami is scheduled to confer with members of the
Inter-Religious Council of Bosnia and Hercegovina as well as the two other
countries' intellectuals.
Several agreements are to be signed by the high-ranking officials of Iran and
the three states.
Iran's ministers of foreign affairs, finance and economy as well as industries
and mines are accompany the president in his three-nation tour.
Source: IRNA web site, Tehran, in English 0750
gmt 7 Mar 05
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