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iranian, azeri fms meet in baku
baku, april 23, irna -- iran's foreign minister ali akbar velayati here tuesday reviewed iran-azarbaijan relations with the foreign minister of azarbaijan hassan hassanov. the foreign minister of iran told his azeri counterpart that the islamic republic had given recognition to azerbaijan immediately after its indpendence and added that iran had adopted policies to ensure good neighborly relations with that northern neighbor of iran. velayati said the republic of armenia should vacate occupied territories of azerbaijan and that dislodged families should return home. the foreign minister of iran added that the u.s. government intends to infiltrate the world nations and added that the world governments should try to prevent washington from doing so. the foreign minister of azerbaijan said that the republic of armenia continues its provocations and that it had not changed its previous position for continuing its occupation of azarbaian's territories. the foreign minister of iran arrived here for a two-day official visit tuesday.
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govt releases a number of political detainees, paper says
khartoum, april 23, irna -- a number of political detainees, including three leading members of the outlawed umma party of fomer prremier sadeq al mahdi , have been set free by the government shortly before the muslim pligrimage. holiday last week, an independent daily reported in khartoum tuesday. the akhbar alyoum daily quoted concerned security sources as saying that ''a number of political detainees'' were released last week in khartoum, including mr abdel rasoul alnour, bakri adeel and general (retired) fadul alla burma. the three were members of the politbureau of the outlawed umma party of the former prime minister sadeq al mahdi. political parties including the umma party of sadeq al mahdi were dissolved after the 1989 military take over by general omar al bashir in june 1989. the former prime minister sadeq almahdi who had opted to ftay inside the country last year fled out of the country and joined the armed groups based in ethiopia and eritrea and which work to oust the government in khartoum through violance. but on monday general bashir told a gathering marking the signing of a peace agreement that his government would do it utmost for a national conciliation in the sudan. ''the decision to release them is a good will gesture by the state for the realization of poliatical detente,'' the daily quoted what it called informed sources as saying tuesday. the paper has however failed to give further details as to the other detainees set free by the government of general omar bashir.
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azeri president receives iranian fm
baku, april 23, irna -- azerbaijan republic's president heydar aliyev in his meeting with visiting foreign minister of iran ali-akbar velayati here tuesday intimated his desire for iran's efforts to solve the problem of karabakh. he said the islamic republic could use its influence in the region for that pourpose. the president of azerbaijan also deplored interruption of building operations of khoda-afarin dam on the river arass which, he said, had been as the result of the occupation of azerbaijan's soil by nighboring armenia. the foreign minister of iran hand delivered to aliyev an invitation from iran's president hojatoleslam akbar hashemi rafsanjani for the eighth summit of muslim nations in tehran. the president of azerbaijan said that he would participate in the summit with pleasure. the foreign minister of iran told aliyev that are many ways in which neighboring iran and azerbaijan could promote their rel tions and added that the islamic republic is keen to broaden mutual cooperation between the two countries in every possible area. velayati said iran looks forward to seeing azerbaijian and armenia solve their problems and observed that at any rate the government of azerbaijan could count on iran's help for solving the problem of karabakh.
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quake hits firouzabad, homes damaged
firouzabad, fars prov., april 23, irna -- an earthquake measuring 4.8 degrees on the open-ended richter scale hit the city of firouzabad in this southern province at 22:10 hours local time tuesday. the seismological center of shiraz, affiliated to geophysics institute of tehran university registered the epicenter of the quake 150 km south of the center, between 'ghir-karzin' district and firouzabad. a number of houses in the area have reportedly been damaged, but there has been no report of any casualty.
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2nd stage of war games starts, 10 vessels launched
bandar abbas, hormuzgan prov., april 23, irna -- the second stage of the amphibious maneuvers code-named 'tariq qods' was launched here wednesday in the presence of the supreme leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei. the vessels of the naval forces of the islamic revolution's guards corps (irgc) paraded before the commander-in-chief of the armed forces in the persian gulf waters. more than 200 vessels of various types are involved in the war games, the first stage of which was launched tuesday evening. meanwhile, 10 irgc vessels were launched here tuesday evening in the presence of the supreme leader. the commander-in-chief of the armed forces was officially welcomed at the first naval base, in this southern port city, by senior irgc commanders engaged in the 3-day maneuvers. irgc commander mohsen rezai and commanders of ground, air, naval and basij (volunteer) forces of the corps briefed the supreme leader on the features of the war games. the leader also inspected the 'qadr' missile launching vessel where he was briefed on the vessel's military and defence capabilities and features. ayatollah khamenei also inspected an exhibition of the irgc naval forces displaying its achievements in the areas of reserach and self-sufficiency including missile projects. over 300 reporters, photographers and film crew are here to cover the leader's visit to southern iran and the war games.
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2nd international exhibition on oil, gas opened
tehran, april 23, irna -- the second international exhibition on oil, gas and petrochemical industry opened at the permanent fair grounds here tuesday, attended by the industries minister, deputies and officials of the oil ministry, representatives and directors of foreign firms as well as participants from 150 local and foreign companies. industries minister mohammad reza nematzadeh, in his inaugural speech touched on good capabilities of the oil and gas sector in the field of engineering and designing and said more should be done in specialized areas. he said that construction and installation sector has also provided praiseworthy services in this field by successful reconstruction of refineries during the period of war. the industries minister also told the participants that the iranian experts have the ability to carry out key activities in all fields especially in oil and gas. however, it is essential for the iranian specialists to move to the fields of designing, producing equipment, installing and putting into operation and executing projects both inside and outside the country, he stressed. deputy oil minister, ali hashemi, addressing the session said iran is the fourth largest oil producer and second opec oil producer with regard to proven reserves the amount of which is estimated around 90 billion barrels. he added that iran, with 23 trillion cubic meters of gas, has the second largest gas reserves in the world. the value of gas and liquified gas reserves in just the south pars gas field reaches one billion dollars. referring to the petrochemical industry, the deputy oil minister said, the present production capacity of the petrochemical sector is 13 million tons while 10 years ago the production of one million ton was considered to be a wish for iran. he added that the oil industry has reached a level of technical know-how that it has not only been able to design and execute plans independently within the country but also has been providing such services to kuwait, turkmenistan and other countries in recent years. another speaker of the session was the director general of the export promotion center, ali saeedlou who, too, touched on iran's petrochemical capabilities. he said the share of petrochemical products in exports is over 500 million dollars. he added that the present exhibition, held on a 4,000 square meter area, has put on display variety of products and technical-engineering services related to oil, gas and petrochemical industries as well as up-to-date industries. participants in the second international exhibition on oil, gas and petrochemical industries include companies from canada, england, france, germany, china, switzerland, hungary, azerbaijan republic, ukraine, austria, denmark, turkey and holland. the exhibition is open to public from april 23 to 27 at tehran's permanent trade fair grounds.
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velayati sends message to polish counterpart
bonn, april 23, irna -- the iranian ambassador to poland, mohammad taheri, in a meeting tuesday in warsaw with polish foreign ministry director general for asia-pacific affairs, pominsky, reviewed further promotion of the two countries relations. meanwhile, the iranian ambassador submitted pominsky a written message from iran's foreign minister ali akbar velayati for his polish counterpart, dariusz rosati. commenting on the importance of tehran-warsaw relations, the polish foreign ministry official expressed hope that the crisis created by the berlin court ruling will end soon.
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tariq qods maneuvers convey message of peace and friendship
bandar abbas, hormuzgan prov., april 23, irna -- a senior official at the islamic revolution's guards corps (irgc) said here wednesday that the ongoing tariq qods war games, aimed to upgrade irgc's defencive power, conveys the message of peace and friendship to regional countries and to display the might of islam. speaking to irna reporter at the tariq qod operational region, head of the irgc joint command headquarters mohammad baqer zolqadr said the first batch of high-speed boats of the irgc naval forces will be launched during the maneuvers. equipped with sophisticated and modern facilities, the boats will increase irgc's naval power, zolqadr said. further elaborating on the maneuvers, he said the ground and sea operations have been designed to test iran's defence potentials to counter simultaneous hypothetical threats in west and south of the country. the ground operations of the tariq qods maneuvers extend from kermanshah (in west of iran) to coasts of hormuzgan and bushehr (in south) as well as khuzestan (in southwest) and a number of islands in the region, said zolqadr adding, the sea operations cover the persian gulf waters.
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jewish community celebrate passover
yazd, april 230, irna -- the jewish community of this central province here tuesday celebrated the 'passover'. khodadad goharian, head of the provincial jewish association, told irna correspondent here that the celebrations last for eight days. while observing their religious rituals, the iranian jews pray for long life of the leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei, the success of the islamic republic of iran and a lasting peace and tranquility throughout the world, goharian said.
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velayati leaves baku for ashkhabad
baku, april 23, irna -- iran's foreign minister ali akbar velayati left here wednesday morning for ashkhabad, the capital city of turkmenistan. velayati arrived here tuesday on a two-day official visit to hand over a message from president akbar hashemi rafsanjani to president hedydar aliyev of azerbaijan inviting him to attend the 8th summit meeting of the organization of the islamic conference (oic) to be held in tehran in december. during his visit, velayati also reviewed further promotion of tehran-baku relations with his azeri counterpart, hassan hassanov. prior to his departure, he told irna corredspondent here that his talks with azeri officials were constructive and positive.
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heroin, opimum hidden in baggage, tv set discovered
zahedan, sistan-baluchestan prov., april 23, irna -- one kg of heroin and two kg of opium were seized from two passengers on monday by law enforcement officers at zahedan airport, in southeast iran. in one of the instances the narcotics were concealed in a suitcase being carried by a passenger. in another incident the law enforcement forces of iran-shahr, in his southeastern province, discovered six kgs of opium from an inter-city passenger bus, hidden inside a television set.
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velayati arrives in ashkhabad
shkhabad, april 23, irna -- foreign minister ali akbar velayati of iran arrived here wednesday following a two-day visit to azerbaijan republic. he is to deliver a message from president akbar hashemi rafsanjani for president saparmurat niyazov of turkmenistan inviting him to attend the 8th summit meeting of the organization of the islamic conference (oic), to be held in tehran in december. the latest regional and international developments will be among topics to be discussed by velayati and turkmen senior officials.
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daily: the present crucial juncture a test for eu states
tehran, april 23, irna -- a morning daily here wednesday said that the politicized ruling of a berlin court on april 10 against iran is now proving a dilemma for the 15-nation european union (eu). ''the scartch on the eu image has been further deepened following the mounting pressure from the united states that calls for a firm anti-iran stand,'' wrote 'iran news' in its editorial. ''apparently the critical dialogue between iran and the eu is at stake,'' said the article, reminding the iranian foreign ministry that ''revolutionary changes are needed for the future course of iran's relations with the eu states.'' stressing that negotiations with the eu states in the name of the so-called critical dialogue are meaningless, the daily remarked that the process for negotiations should be reviewed if the eu states are serious on this issue. ''the present crucial juncture is the best time to keep a record of the behavior of the eu states,'' said the editorial, adding that this record should provide the criteria for iran's future relations with europe.
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irgc forces powerfully present in scene: rezaie
bandar abbas, hormuzgan prov., april 23, irna -- commander of the islamic revolution's guards corps (irgc) major general mohsen rezaie said here today that the irgc personnel will demonstrate to the world that the iranian armed forces are powerfully present in the scene. commenting on the ongoing tariq qod maneuvers being held in western and southern iran, the major general added that the military exercises are a testimony to the fact that iran can defend its sea and land borders without any assistance from outside. the commander added that the vessels engaged in the war games have been either built domestically or repaired and equipped by iranian experts. the three-day war games were launched tuesday evening with participation of over 200,000 irgc men and over 300 vessels in the presence of the supreme leader of the islamic revolution and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ayatollah ali khamenei. its second stage started today. tens of airplanes and helicopters as well as high-speed boats and 'tondar' missile launching vessels took part in a parade in the persian gulf waters this morning in the presence of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. in the third stage of the mililtary exercises, to be launched thursday, the ground, naval and air units of the irgc will attack pre-determined positions of hypothetical enemy and counter its attacks.
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iran scorns uk daily
london, april 23, irna -- the iranian embassy in london rebuked the financial times for trying to equate iran with iraq and stooping to repeat allegations commonly orchestrated by u.s. and israeli hostility towards the islamic republic. it also poured scorn on such an upmarket newspaper using the term 'gulf' instead of 'persian gulf' like the rest of the british establishment contrary to all historical evidence about its established name. ''just as medieval sceptics could not change the truth about the earth revolving around the sun, nor would the present day forgers be able to alter the authentic name of the persian gulf,'' deputy head of the mission, mohammad safaei said in a letter to the daily. he also corrected the false allegation that iran, like iraq , was hostile towards its arab neighbors, pointing out that tehran's policy was of ''cooperation with muslim countries in the region.'' with regard to being ''suspected of seeking to acquire nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction,'' safaei reminded the financial times that iran was among the original signatories to the non- proliferation treaty and remained a staunch supporter. iran, he said, had not only ratified the comprehensive nuclear treaty ban, but its constructive initiative to help achieve a compromise at the disarmament conference ''was appreciated and welcomed by leading members.'' international atomic energy agency inspectors had also frequently vindicated iran's position and as the financial times may be aware, it was tehran which has sponsored a nuclear free middle east in the face of opposition, including from israel, the envoy said.
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minister: islamic states should not let the west lead the game
tehran, april 22, irna -- iran's minister of construction jihad, gholam reza foruzesh, met visiting syrian minister of irrigation, public works and water resources abd ar-rahman madani, here on tuesday. at the meeting foruzesh said that islamic countries should cooperate in major economic and industrial projects in order to prevent monopolization of such fields by western countries. he said that exchange of especialists and experiences between iran and syria could result in flourishing of robust economies in both countries. the syrian minister who is in tehran to attend the eighth conference of rain water catchment systems said that the next century is going to be one of water shortage problem and that the third world countries should take special measures to develop their water resources. madani added that major projects relating to water and soil development are already successfully underway in iran. the two sides also voiced readiness for expantion of especialized cooperation between the islamic republic of iran and syria.
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president calls for export of technical, engineering services
tehran, april 22, irna -- president akbar hashemi rafsanjani here on tuesday called for export of technical and engineering services. speaking at the supreme council for promoting exports, president rafsanjani called on the public sector to exercise further presence in the development programs of the developing nations. he said capability of iran in the sectors of industry and mining as well as steel and petrochemical industries have served to boost the export potentials of iran. the president hailed the achievements of iranian trade exhibits regularly held abroad and stressed the need for active presence of iran in international markets. meanwhile, minister of commerce yahya al-e-eshaq gave a report to the council on non-oil exports saying that seven million tons of goods worth dlrs. 3.2 billion were exported in the past fiscal year.
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tourist flow from greece to iran up
athens, april 22, irna -- 294 tourists from greece visited the islamic republic of iran in ten groups between november 1996 till mid-april. the number includes 168 airline employees in greece who visited iran to get first-hand information on tourist sites and facilities in iran. the greek tourists visited tehran, isfahan, shiraz and persepolis, iran air manager in greece, s.m.nouraei told irna. the number marks an upward trend in tourism from greece to iran, he said.
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no change in greek position on not to recall envoy from tehran
athens, april 22, irna -- greek foreign ministry sources today reiterated that there is no change in greece's decision not to recall its ambassador from tehran. well-informed foreign ministry sources told irna that greek ambassador to tehran, dimitris tsikouris, was taking part together with other ambassadors of the european union in a meeting in brussels and after that he will come to athens to "brief the greek government and to spend his easter holidays here." most greek ambassadors are in athens currently to spend the greek easter holidays, the most significant orthodox religious event. tsikouris was expected to return to his post in tehran after the easter holidays. last week, greek government spokesman dimitris reppas also said that tsikouris would be taking part in the brussels meeting and then come to athens for consultations. reppas had clarified that athens was not recalling its ambassador from tehran. "the term "recalling", which expresses a policy, is not correct," he told a daily press briefing. the western media interpreted the greek move as a change in policy and reported that athens was recalling its ambassador. iran's ambassador to athens, mehdi khandaqabadi, was carrying out his duties as usual, iranian embassy sources told irna. iran has recalled its ambassadors from all those eu countries which have recalled their ambassadors from the islamic republic. the greek government said it did not agree with the invitation by the dutch eu presidency to recall their ambassadors for consultations from tehran following the berlin court verdict in the mykonos case.
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naval divisions of irgc to parade past leader wednesday
bandar abbas, hormuzgan prov., april 22, irna -- the marines and the navy vessels of the islamic revolution's guards corps (irgc) are to parade past the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah seyed-ali khamenei, near here wednesday before the amphibious maneuvers of tariq al-qods. upwards of 200 navy boats of irgc will also parade past the leader wednesday. on wednesday, new war-boats of irgc named 'tondar' will join the irgc naval force. the small boats of 'tondar' feature also missile systems with various ranges. they are versatile with a fast mobility system. tariq al-qods maneuvers are to demonstrate the deterrent capacity of the irgc. the tariq al-qods maneuvers started tuesday simultaneously in southern and western iran.
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prefatory operations to tariq al-qods maneuvers start in western, southern provinces
bandar abbas, hormuzgan prov., april 22, irna -- prefatory operations to amphibious war-games code-named 'tariq al-qods' started in the presence of the visiting leader of the revolution, ayatollah seyed-ali khamenei, simutaneously in four provinces of hormuzgan, bushehr, khuzestan and kermanshah on tuesday. 200,000 marines and ground force personnel of the islamic revolution's gaurds corps (irgc) and basij forces are participating in war-games. the maneuvers will be performed along 2,000 kilometers of the western and southern borders of iran peculiar for many of its features. the maneuvers are intended to test and demonstrate the combat readiness of the iranian forces on land, air and sea. the tariq al-qods maneuvers are planned as defensive and deterrent operations. during the three days of the maneuvers starting on wednesday, scores of various weapons as well as boats and naval equipment will be tested for their performance. commander of irgc general mohssen reza-ee said here tuesday that the idea of the war-games is to test the capacity of the irgc to push back two hypothetically simultaneous incursions against the islamic republic at geographically remote points of the country. he said the war-games would also boost the morale of the armed forces of iran. the maneuvers tariq al-qods are to be carried out in three phases.