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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