tehran, may 23, irna -- voting started in iran at 8:00 a.m. friday to elect a successor to president akbar hashemi rafsanjani in one of the most keenly fought campaign since the victory of the islamic revolution 18 years ago. four candidates are standing in the seventh presidential elections. speaker of the 270-seat majlis hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri, 54, and former culture and islamic guidance minister hojatoleslam mohammad khatami, also 54, are the two clear election front-runners. the other two candidates are former prosecutor general and minister, mohammad mohammadi reyshahri, 51, and deputy head of the judiciary reza zavarei, 59. the four candidates were selected from among 238 applicants by the guardians council. a total of 33,209 polling stations have been installed throughout the country which will remain open till 6:00 p.m. the time period will be extended by the interior ministry, if necessary. some 33 million, all those aged 15 and above, are eligible to vote in the elections. according to the census of 1996 iran had a population of 69.9. it is expected that more than 25 million votes will be cast in the seventh presidential elections. the supreme leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah ali khamenei and president akbar hashemi rafsanjani, whose eight years in office will come to an end in august, have urged the nation to vote in the elections and choose the most competent candidate from among the four contenders. the iranian television last night broadcast messages from the ranking ulema of the country inviting the people to cast their votes. in the previous presidential elections, held in june 1993, a total of 16,789,666 votes were cast out of which 10,555,912 or 63.2 percent went to president rafsanjani. under the election law the winner must secure an absolute majority of more than half of the votes cast. in the absence of a clear winner, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates. more than 100 news teams have arrived in iran to cover the presidential elections, one of the closest races in the history of the islamic republic.

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president rafsanjani among the early voters in elections

tehran, may 23, irna -- president akbar hashemi rafsanjani, friday morning in the early hours of the start of polling for the seventh presidential elections, cast his ballot at jamaran mosque, northern tehran, and urged the nation to follow suit. president rafsanjani, who will step down in august after serving two 4-year terms in office, came be known as ''the warrior of construction'' for his untiring efforts for the development of war-torn iran. the president speaking to reporters after casting his vote which was covered by hundreds of foreign correspondents and photographers said that it was a religious and national obligation of all iranians to vote. he also recommended the nation not to leave the voting until late hours. during his eight years in office president rafsanjani initiated a huge number of giant infrastructural and industrial projects. all the four presidential contenders throughout their election campaign committed themselves to continue the development programs launched by president rafsanjani. taking office in 1989, rafsanjani was the fourth president of the islamic republic of iran. according to article 114 of the constitution, he cannot run for the third term. 33 million iranians who are entitled to political suffrage have ten hours in which to cast their votes in the ballot boxes located at 33,209 polling stations throughout the country. the period of polling can be extended at the request of the interior minister. president rafsanjani also told the reporers that all iranians should fulfill their national and islamic obligation and participate actively at the ballots and vote for the candidate of their choice. four candidates who have been approved by the guardians council to run for the presidency in the seventh presidential elections are hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri, hojatoleslam mohammad khatami, reza zavarei and hojatoleslam mohammad mohammadi reyshahri. the seventh presidential elections is also the eighteenth nationwide elections to be held since the triumph of the islamic revolution in 1979.

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leader casts vote says ''no one can substitute rafsanjani ''

tehran, may 23, irna -- the leader of the islamic revolution, ayatollah ali khamenei cast his vote shortly after polls opened friday morning and advised the nation to rush to the polling stations and not leave this major task till late in the day. tens of foreign and local reporters and photographers were present when the supreme leader cast his vote at 8:30 at a mobile polling box at imam khomenei husseiniyeh, in jamaran, northern tehran. the leader of the islamic revolution advised the nation to cast their vote and make their judgement based on full knowldege. the supreme leader added that the electorates should take lead in benevolent deeds and not delay the voting. commenting on his expectations from the future president, the leader of the islamic revolution said, ''we expect him to consider himself servant of the nation and do all he can within his legal jurisdiction what is required for the spiritual and material well being of the nation.'' the leader added that the nation expects all the measures taken for their prosperity and well being to be within the framework of islamic laws and regulations. ''fortunately all the candidates have declared (in their platforms) they plan to do so and this is what we expect from the future president,'' pointed out the supreme leader. ''my attitude towards anyone who emerges victorious from the ballot boxes as the (future) president of the islamic republic of iran will be the same as that towards mr. hashemi rafsanjani during the past eight years. nevertheless, none of them will substitute rafsanjani for me. but as for the nation and the country, i hope that the future president will be a personality similar to him (rafsanjani) and will strive further and better for the progress of the nation.

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irna news, photos on internet

tehran, march 23, irna -- the london office of the islamic republic news agency (irna) started transmitting reports on 7th presidential elections in iran and related photos on the internet network simultaneously with elections today. subscribers will receive reports covering the latest developments in iran on line for three consecutive days. those interested can get access to the reports and photos by entering

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a glance at six presidential elections

tehran, may 23, irna -- since the victory of the islamic revolution in iran in february 1979 and establishment of the islamic republic in april 1979, the iranian nation has elected four presidents in six presidential elections. the number of votes cast in three turns were unprecedented in the political systems of the world. the followings are facts and figures on presidential elections carried out in iran so far: year president votes % votes total votes cast 1980 banisadr absolute majority 10.05m 13m 1981 rajaie 88.3 13.03m 14.76m 1981 aya khamenei 95.5 16.7m 16.84m 1985 aya khamenei 85.67 12.2m 14.24m 1989 hoj rafsanjani 94.5 15.5 16.44m 1993 hoj rafsanjani 64 10.56m 16.79m after banisadr's defection from iran and his dismissal from his post, the second presidential elections were held. a prominent feature of the third presidential elections was an spectacular increase in the number of votes, that is about 20 percent, compared to the two previous rounds. in this turn, ayatollah khamenei gained absolute majority of votes which compared to the six turns, was the only round in which the contender gained the highest number of votes. this turn was held at a time when the islamic revolution faced terrorist moves of the so-called mujahideen khalq organization (mko) and top ranking officials such as president mohammad ali rajaie and prime minister mohammad javad bahonar were martyred in a terrorist bomb explosion. a prominent feature of the 7th presidential elections is the closeness of the race to a point that no political analyst is able to predict the outcome. in previous presidential elections, due to the participation of prominent personalities such as ayatollah ali khamenei and hojatoleslam akbar hashemi rafsanjani and their popularity among the people and absence of rivals able to compete them, prediction of the result was easy. however, predicting a likely winner in the seventh presidental elections seems difficult because the two front-runners, speaker hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri and hojatoleslam mohammad khatami have fought a hard campaign and analysts believe that for this reason the turn out will be dramatically high.

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zavarei's biography

tehran, may 23, irna -- born 1938 in 'hesar kouchak' village in varameen (35 kms southeast of tehran), reza zavarei completed primary school in a neighboring village and majored in agriculture at college. he served as a teacher under the education ministry. zavareie was arrested in 1967 and jailed at 'qezelhesar' prison for his political activities and campaign against the former monarchial regime and was later suspended from the college for two years. in 1972 he got his b.a. in law from tehran university and was employed as an attorney at the justice ministry. as a member of iranian jurists society's central council and executive board, he made the society defend political prisoners in 1978. after triumph of the 1979 islamic revolution in iran, zavarei was appointed the head of tehran's revolutionary court and deputy interior minister during president akabar hashemi rafsanjani's terms of office. moreover, he was elected as a majlis deputy for two consecutive terms from a tehran constituency. since 1989 zavarei has served as deputy head of the judiciary, in charge of state registration organization and is a member of the guardians council.

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biography of presidential contender hojatoleslam reyshahri

tehran, may 23, irna -- hojatoleslam mohammad mohammadi reyshahri was born in rey, south of tehran, in 1946 to a religious family. he entered theological school at the age of 14. he actively participated in political campaigns since the beginning of the movement initiated by the late founder of the islamic republic imam khomeini. hojatoleslam reyshahri was arrested by savak (the secret police of shah's regime) several times and banned from giving lectures. he has written several research books in various fields includig 'mizan al-hakame', in 10 volumes, 'leadership in islam', 'free debate', 'philosophy of imamat and leadership' as well as 'management ethics'. he has also served in several capacities such as minister of information, prosecutor general and special prosecutor of the clergy. currently he represents tehran at experts assembly, is representative of vali-e faqih (leader) and head of iranian hajj pilgrims and is member of the expediency council. in february 1996, he founded a group called the ''society for the defense of the values of islamic revolution'' whose branches are active throughout the country.

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hojatoleslam reyshahri casts vote

tehran, may 23, irna -- the presidential contender hojatoleslam mohammad mohammadi reyeshari cast his vote at a polling station in southern tehran on friday for the presidential candidate of his choice. talking to irna, reyshahri said that the most important task before the next president is revolutionizing the management, reforming and reinforcing the mamagerial system. naturally, he added, this will lead to administrative, cultural and economic revolution. he said that without improving and strengthening country's management system, measures and programs will be of little or no effect.

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president hopes semi-finished projects will be completed

tehran, may 23, irna -- president akbar hashemi rafsanjani said here on friday that he hoped the semi-finished development projects will be fully implemented after the new president is elected. hojatoleslam rafsanjani, whose term of offcice will end in august, was speaking to reporters at hosseiniyeh jamaran. he hoped that a fresh, dynamic and capable president will emerge from today's elections. asked whether the outcome of the elections will leave a dramatic impact on the country, president rafsanjani said, ''naturally any election could have serious impacts. this election like the previous one, will have its effects.'' tens of iranian and foreign reporters and photographers covered voting of the president who was accompanied by his two daughters.

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biography of presidential contender hojatoleslam nateq nouri

tehran, may 23, irna -- majlis speaker hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri was born in nour, in the caspian province of mazandaran in 1943 to a religious family. he entered tehran theological center at the age of 15 then transferred to qom seminary where he was taught by prominent ulema. nateq nouri studied philosophy at tehran university along with his theological studies. he started his political career in 1963 simultaneously with the movement initiated by the founder of the islamic republic by giving lectures as a theological student at the holy shrine of hadhrat masoume (as) in qom. he was banned from giving lectures by the former regime several times. he actively participated in organizing the massive popular rallies in 1977-1978 and in the formation of genuine islamic groups. he was an active member of the islamic republic party and has been a member of 'jam-e rouhaniyat mobarez'. nateq nouri was also one of the main members of the committee formed to welcome imam khomeini on his triumphant return to iran in 1979. he has served in various positions including: secretary of the islamic revolution committee during the first years of the victory of the revolution, imam's first representative in the construction jihad organization, interior minister, deputy to the 1st, 3rd, 4th majlis. currently, he is the speaker of the 5th majlis, member of high council of cultural revolution, member of the expediency council and member of the supreme national security council (snsc).

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biography of hojatoleslam khatami

tehran, march 23, irna -- born in ardakan in the southern province of yazd in 1943 to a religious family, hojatoleslam mohammad khatami attended religious science center in qom from 1961 before getting his diploma. several years later, hojatoleslam khatami got his b.a. in philosophy from isfahan university, accomplishing religious studies in senior level at qom seminary. having started his post graduate studies in educational science at tehran university from 1970, the hojatoleslam returned to qom later to pursue ijtihad courses at qom seminary. hojatoleslam khatami was involved in political activities and anti-monarchial campaign by preparing, duplicating and distributing political statements, especially those issued by the founder of the islamic republic, the late imam khomeini. he began his political activities at the association of the muslim students of isfahan university, worked closely with imam khomeini's late son, hojatoleslam ahmad khomeini and martyr mohammad montazeri. he translated a letter sent by the fourth imam of prophet mohammad's (pbuh) infallible household hazrat sajjad (as) to uncomitted scholars, duplicated and distributed the book 'on scholars' service' by renowned iranian author jalal al-e ahmad and organized religious and political debates. hojatoleslam khatami chaired islamic center of hamburg in germany before the triumph of the 1979 islamic revolution as proposed by martyr mohamad beheshti. he represented ardakan and meybod constituencies in the first term of majlis. he also served as imam khomeini's representative at and head of keyhan institute, as culture and islamic guidance minister during the premiership of hussein mousavi and presidency of hojatoleslam akbar hashemi rafsanjani. he is currently head of the national library and presidential advisor for cultural affairs. he has written two book and speaks three languages, arabic, english and german.

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zavarei casts his vote in presidential elections

tehran, may 23, irna -- the presidential contender reza zavarei cast his vote in a polling station at hosseiniyeh ershad, in northeastern tehran, early friday morning. a total of 33 million iranians go to polls on friday to vote for the next iranian president. talking to reporters, zavarei said that high turnout would defuse enemy propaganda. he called on people to participate massively in the elections.

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khatami: elections being held in healthy atmosphere

tehran, may 23, irna -- the presidential contender hojatoleslam mohammad khatami said here friday that elections are being held in a healthy atmosphere. hojatoleslam khatami, speaking to foreign reporters after casting his vote added that regardless of the outcome of the elections what is of utmost importance to him is the promotion of revolution and progress of country. asked whether he was suprised by the degree of support for him, hojatoleslam khatami said the iranian youth love their country and revolution and their overwhelming participation in the elections stems from this love. he said what is of importance is not a specific person but the revolution. as for the result of the elections, khatami said, ''whatever god desires. what is important to me is the elevation of islamic iran and not who becomes the next president.'' on chances of winning, he said any one elected as iran's next president must continue with the construction programs and pave the way for enthusiastic presence of the people on the scene.

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tehran, may 23, irna -- majlis speaker ali akbar nateq nouri, a contender in the 7th presidential elections said here today after casting his vote that in case of his victory, iran's foreign policy vis-a-vis ties with the u.s. and european union will not change. policies will be adopted in line with wisdom and expedience, he said adding national interest will precede everthing else. iran's foreign policy will also be based on non-interference in domestic affairs of other countries and reciprocal respect in ties with other countries. predicting that the current presidential elections will be held better than the previous ones, he said any of the four contenders who wins the majority of votes and is confirmed by the leader, will be the president of the islamic republic. he stressed that other aspirants and their supporters are bound to support the new president as a token of religious and national unity. the majlis speaker added that in case of winning the elections, he will initiate new projects in political, economic and cultural arenas. nateq nouri declined to predict his possible victory in the elections and in response a question by christine amanpur of the cable news network (cnn) who considered his victory as certain, said, ''i do not think so because the contest is very close and the outcome cannot be predicted.'' ''all the four aspirants who are running in the seventh presidential polls have done so out of duty and responsibility'' he said adding, all other contenders were his friends. ''they have also felt dutybound and have entered the race to fulfil their task. whatever the result of elections may be, every one should be bound by it,'' he concluded.

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senior ayatollahs cast vote

qom, march 23, irna -- all leading ayatollahs in this holy city went to the polls on friday to vote in the seventh presidential elections. among the senior ulema were ayatollah hossein meshkini, ayatollah hossein-ali montazeri, ayatollah mohammad fazel lankarani, ayatollah seyed reza bahaoddini, ayatollah lotfollah safi golpayegani, ayatollah naser makarem shirazi, ayatollah seyed abdolkarim mousavi ardebili, ayatollah yousef saneie, ayatollah hossein rasti kashani, ayatollah hossein mazaheri, ayatollah seyed jalaloddin taheri, ayatollah ja'far sobhani and ayatollah mohammad yazdi. talking to reporters, ayatollah yazdi said here that the presidential elections were a new test for iranian people and the islamic revolution of iran. ayatollah yazdi said the elections revealed people's inherent interest in islamic virtues and the values of the system. he said that people in the islamic society of iran cast their vote in the elections by taking the divine and islamic values into consideration. therefore, elections are something sacred in iran, he concluded

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ayatollah montazeri casts vote

qom, may 23, irna -- ayatollah husseinali montazeri cast his vote in the 7th presidential elections in this holy city today. he cast his vote in ballot box no. 29 at imam hussein (as) mosque.

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deputy minister: full security in polling stations

tehran, may 23, irna -- deputy interior minister for security affairs gholamhussein blandian said here at noon friday that security prevails over all polling stations. no report of irregularity has so far been received, he said expressing hope that the trend will continue throughout the voting period. he called on people to avoid gathering in front of the polling stations so that those intending to vote will be able to do so without any hinderance. meanwhile, first vice-president hassan habibi and vice-speaker of the majlis hojatoleslam hassan rowhani separately inspected the elections headquarters at the interior ministry here today. both officiasl in talks with the interior minister ali mohammad besharati and other officials at the headquarters, were briefed on on the trend of elections and voting procedures.

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vote counting to start after end of elections

tehran, may 23, irna -- interior minister ali-mohammad besharati said here on friday that the counting of votes in the 7th presidential elections will start soon after polls close and the first results will start coming in from saturday. besharati said that in case a candidate fails to gain absolute majority, the constitution stipulates that a runoff election be held between the top two after all the votes are counted and all the complaints are looked into.

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iranian throughout europe vote for next president

london, may 23, irna -- iranian nationals throughout europe were casting their votes friday for the successor to hashemi rafsanjani in the country's seventh presidential election. in britain, ten polling stations in london, manchester, birmingham, newcastle, leeds, sheffield, bristol, cardiff, glasgow and edinburgh opened up to record the votes from tens of thousands of students and expatriates. counting was starting when the stations close at 19.00 hrs (18.00 gmt) with the results relayed to tehran to be accumulated with other votes from around the world and the millions cast in iran. the financial times said friday that the presidential election, though circumscribed to four candidates, was a ''genuine contest'' and could start to make the islamic revolutionary country ''more like a normal state'' with which the west can fell less uncomfortable. it suggested that whatever the result, a realignment of the iranian leadership was on the cards and may put an end to the fragmentation of rival power centers that allow too much room for adventurism and earns the country its pariah status.

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kashani: people's turnout in election, response to leader's call

tehran, may 23, irna -- provisional friday prayers leader of tehran ayatollah mohammad emami kashani said here on friday that people's turnout for presidential elections was in fact a positive response to the call of islam, martyrs'blood and to the call of the leader of islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei. ayatollah kashani said that people's presence in the polling stations would embrass the enemy, adding that every ballot cast on and that any vote cast in the ballot boxes is a threat to the global arrogance. ayatollah khashani said the high number of votes cast by people and the large number of voters would defuse the plots being hatched by the enemy of the islamic revolution. the revered ayatollah made the remaks in his sermons to a large friday prayer gathering in tehran university campus today which coincided with the seventh round of presidential election in iran. pointing to secular policies adopted by certain muslim countries, the ayatollah said that when secularism was imposed on certain states like in turkey in 1920s, muslim societies in those countries began to decline because it was religion which accounted for their progress. kashani, also a member of guardians council, said that in view of islam any society is founded on religious bases and this was the key to the success of the iranian people. all eligible voters should go to the polling booths and cast their votes because the whole world is now looking at the iranian people to assess their adherence to islam and the revolution, the ayatollah said. he said the great nation of iran was mature and aware enough to select the best presidential candidate of his choice. the stronger and the more competent the next present, the better he can lead the country and the revolution, he said, adding that the president should protect islam and islamic values and be aware of the political and economic issues of the country. he expressed hope that the incoming president would succeed in serving the masses and meeting their requirements. concluding his remarks, ayatollah kashani thanked president akbar hashemi rafsanjani for his services to the islamic revolution, especially for his efforts to shape the economic structures of the country.

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iran's oldest couple cast vote in presidential election

kelardasht, gilan prov., may 23, irna -- the oldest iranian couple cast their vote in the 7th presidential election in kelardasht, gilan province on friday. mohammad morad kajori, 146 and her wife golgis aged, 110, are the oldest couple in iran to participate in the voting with great enthusiasm. the 146 year old man, kajori known in iran as the grandpa of the world, said he was very happy to attend the presidential election. ''a good president will ensure the prosperity of the country,'' he said. golgis, the 110 year old women, said she and her husband became acquainted with elections and the importance for people to take part in polling by listening to the speeches of the father of the islamic revolution, late imam khomeini on radio.

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iranians living in italy appear in large numbers in polling booths

rome, may 23, irna -- iranians living in italy appeared in large numbers and with great enthusiasm in the presidential election on friday. they went to the polling stations set up in rome, milan, naples, genova, turin, padova, perugia, catania (sicilia) and cast their ballots. three hours after polling stattions were opened, iranians living in the italian cities contacted the consulates of the islamic republic of iran, calling for extention of the polling deadline. a 17-year old girl told irna reporter at one of the polling stations that she took part in the elections with a sense of pride and hoped that the new president would succeed in providing welfare, strength and dignity for iran and the muslim iranian nation.

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iranian people's turnout in election will safeguard revolution

beirut, may 23, irna -- senior lebanese alim allameh seyed mohammad hussein fadlollah said here on friday that the today's presidential eletions in iran was an important factor in safeguarding the islamic revolution. fadlollah, who was delivering his friday prayers sermons at a mosque at a southern suburb of beirut, expressed hope that the iranian people would continue treading the path of the islamic revolution by voting for their favorite presidential candidate. he said that considering various threats posed to iran today, the election of a president who would keep going in the path of islam and revolution is of great importance. he said turkey's military incursion into northern iraq was a move taken in line with a recent deal struck by tel aviv and ankara and supported by the u.s. to exert pressure on syria and iran adn apve the way for u.s. domination over the region.

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sofia, may 23, irna -- iranians living in sofia, bulgaria took part in the presidential elections on friday. official in charge of holding elections ahmad zamani told irna that iranian residents in different bulgarian cities have participated in voting with great enthusiasm. in related news from abu dhabi, iranians living in qatar attended polling booths set up by iranian embassy in doha friday. the massive turnout of iranians in qatar showed their great interest in the fate of the islamic republic of iran.

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religious minorities across iran cast their votes

arak, central prov., may 23, irna -- religious minorities in this central province city of iran, like their coreligionists across the country, have actively taken part in today's presidential election. governor of arak seyed mahdi moqaddasi, who is also head of the local electoral committee said on friday that memebers of religious minority groups can also cast their ballots in mobile ballot boxes. after casting his vote, davidian, an armenian living in arak said, ''iran is my homeland and i want to have a share in my country's destiny as my other fellow countrymen do.'' in isfahan, too religious minorities including armenians and assyrians widly turn out in the polling. according to observers, the massive turnout of religious minority groups for the presidential polls in isfahan is unprecedented. armenians have reportedly formed long qeues at the polling stations in the neighborhoods inhabited by minority groups. a 19 year old armenian girl, named karin said,''we live in iran, and therefore we should have a role in deciding our destiny.'' meanwhile, religious minority members showed up in large numbers at polling stations in ahvaz, the capital city of the southern province of khuzestan. there are three polling stations in the city where religious minorites can cast their ballots and according an official responsible for the polling booths, nearly half of the eligible armenian voters have cast their ballots until midday friday. members of other minority groups including zoroastrians in other provinces such as yazd and kerman have reportedly taken part in the polling enthusiastically. the head of a fire temple in yazd, present at a polling station, told irna that in his opinion, taking part in the presidential elections was a national duty. a zoroastrian woman in kerman said, ''we live under protection of the islamic republic system and are willing to pay back by participating in the election.''

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massive turnout in presidential election sign of political maturity

qom, may 23, irna -- friday prayers leader of qom and head of the guardians council ayatollah ali meshkini in his friday prayer sermons in this holy city said that the massive participation of people in presidential pollings was a sign of their political maturity and their sense of responsibility. he said that political awareness of people originating from their religious beliefs is the lesson they have learnt from islam. he expressed hope that people would vote for a competent candidate to become the next president of iran. pointing to the guidelines of the leader of the islamic revolution on the presidential election, he said that the leader's speech has unveiled the duties and responsibilies of the next president, people, universities and the clergymen.

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deadline for presidential polls in iran extended by two hours

tehran, may 23, irna -- head of iran's election headquarters announced here on friday that the deadline for today's presidential polls has been extended by two hours. the official told irna that due to people's massive turnout in polling stations across iran and upon the agreement of interior minister ali mohammad besharati, the deadline for voting has been prolonged until 20:00 (15:30 gmt).

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Inter-tajik peace talks opens in tehran

tehran, may 22, irna -- final round of inter-tajik peace talks started here on thursday with a speech delivered by foreign minister ali-akbar velayati. tajik foreign minister talbak nazarov, deputy leader of tajik opposition akbar turjanzadeh, representatives of the un secretary general, the conference on security and cooperation in europe as well as envoys from russia, kazakhstan, uzbekistan, kyrgyzstan and pakistan are attending the talks. the belligerent groups are to sign their fifth agreement on settlement of the ongoing crisis in their country.

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velayati addresses inter-tajik peace talks

tehran, may 22, irna -- in an inaugural speech at the final round of peace talks between the tajik government and opposition, started today, foreign minister ali akbar velayati expressed satisfaction with the outcome of previous talks between the two sides. the foreign minister expressed hope that this round of peace talks would come to fruition and succeed in solving the tajik crisis. velayati said that millions of tajik people have pinned their hope on the tehran meeting succeeding in laying the foundations of a lasting peace and stability in tajikistan, putting an end to the turbulance and crisis in that country and ensuring a bright future for the tajik people. expressing satisfaction with the agreement reached between the tajik president and leader of the opposition group in bishkek, kyrgyzstan, velayati said with finalization of the peace agreement a national reconciliation commission would be formed in that country and all tajik people would find the opportunity to contribute to social, political and economic and cultural activities. un chief's special representative for tajikistan affairs gerd dietrich merem said at the meeting that nearly all bones of contention between the tajik government and the opposition had been solved and that the objective behind the tehran talks was to attain necessary guarantees for implementation of agreements rached between the belligerent parties. he also lauded iran's efforts for restoration of peace in tajikistan. tajik foreign minister talbak nazarov, referring to the agreements reached between the dushanbe government and the opposition, thanked iran for its efforts to restore peace in the country. deputy leader of tajikistan's national islamic movement qazi akbar turjanzadeh said that singling out countries and organizations that would guarantee the implementaiton of peace agreement rached between the two sides is on the agenda of the tehran talks. turjanzadeh expressed hope that the un, the conference on security and cooperation in europe, the organization of the islamic conference (oic) and the observer countries such as iran, pakistan, uzbekistan and russia would be among the gurantors of the tajik peace agreement.

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almaty, may 22, irna -- the foreign ministry officials of the five caspian sea littoral states opened a two-day meeting on the legal regime of the world's largest sea, in almaty, kazakhstan on thursday. kazakh foreign minister kasem zamurt tokayev said in the opening ceremony that determination of the legal system of the caspian sea is vital not only the neighbouring states, but also, for the whole world. he urged the littoral states to immediately draw up the legal regime of the sea. the littoral states have come to terms on certain operations at the sea including fishing, shipping, and protection of the environment. he hoped that the working group of the five states would reach agreement on making use of the sea's resources in line with their national interest. iranian deputy foreign minister mahmoud vaezi is leading iran's delegation to the meeting.

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Tremor jolts sisakht in southwestern iran

sisakht, kohkiloyeh boyerahmad prov., may 22, irna -- a tremor measuring 3.6 degrees on the open-ended richter scale shook the city of sisakht in this southwestern province at 1:50 hours local time (10:30 gmt). the seismographic base of the geophysics institute of tehran university registered the epicenter of the tremor at 150 km from borojen in lorestan province. no report has been received yet on possible loss of life or damage to property.

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S. korean president receives iranian oil minister

seoul, may 22, irna -- visiting iranian oil minister gholam-reza aqazadeh met with south korean president kim young-sam here on thursday. kim young-sam said that his country was for expansion of economic cooperation with iran. he thanked iran for its readiness to meet south korea's fuel requirements. aqazadeh briefed the south korean president on iran's latest industrial achievements, its oil and gas potential and its special status in the world and the region.

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paper: process of representive rule in iran, alive

tehran, may 22, irna -- an iranian newspaper says that ''it would be fair to claim that the slow but steady process of representive rule is alive and well in the country.'' ''though it may not be dymamic, or without flaws, the realities of iran voting again is no small business if you look at its immediate neighborhood,'' iran daily said in its lead article on thursday. commenting on friday's presidential elections, the english language daily suggested, ''doomsters who are writing the headlines, again need to open their eyes and minds to see the ground realities. ''with all the ups and downs, iran, at the threshold of the 21st century is simply mot a gloomy place doomed to stagnation.'' it warned, ''those who work hard to preserve the fiction about tehran's political climate will be proved wrong for another time.'' ''in a world where almost everything is second to economics, the next president will have the grave responsibility of doing more with less,'' read the editorial adding, ''he will need all the stamina he can gather to address pressing issues starting from the prohibitive cost of living to the reality of treasuries nearly emptied by long years of subsidies and a big fat foreign debt. ''after extended periods of waiting and hoping, the hopeful and the hopeless alike want the top executive to figure out a workable economic agenda. ''the masses want their president to reform and reconsider their legitimate needs and life goals. after all, reform, progress and development is the right of the people who they have demonstrated their selflessness and resilience over nearly two decades,'' iran daily concluded.

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irna to dispatch news on line through internet

tehran, may 22, irna -- the islamic republic news agency (irna) is to dispatch news, information and photos on line through the internet on the election day, friday. irna's dispatches will be accessible on internet www.irna.co.uk. for three days from tomorrow.

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news, photos of iran's presidential elections on internet

tehran, may 22, irna -- london bureau of the islamic republic news agency (irna) dispatches news, information and photos on-line about iran's presidential elections on internet for three days may 23-26. irna's dispatches will be accessible on internet www.irna.co.uk.

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over dlrs. 100 million allocated for import of veterinary medicine

nowshahr, mazandaran prov., may 22, irna -- over 100 million dollars was allocated for import of raw materials for the domestically-produced veterinary medicine, director general of medical department of the veterinary organization nasser rasouli said here on thursday. he said 48 pharmaceutical plants are producing veterinary medicine including vitamines and injection antibiotics and pesticides.

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tehran, may 22, irna -- first vice president of iran hassan habibi here thursday paid a courtesy visit to the iranian center for historical studies and appreciated historical research and use of data bank at the center. habibi also paid a personal tribute to veteran historian of iran mohammad-esmail rezvani. president of the iranian center for historical studies mohammad-hossein taromi offered a summary report to first vice president of the activities of the center and of its short-term and long term plans. the center has 60,000 volumes of books in persian, arabic, english, french, german, italian and russian, in addition to 418 volumes of samples of books printed in iran shorly after the introduciton to iran of the printing technology. additionally, it also has 464 manuscripts and the printed works. it is expected to offer most historical documents to users on the computer network in a near future.

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iranian oil minister arrives in beijing

beijing, may 22, irna -- iran's oil minister gholamreza aqazadeh arrived here for a five-day official visit thursday. during his stay here, he is to discuss oil and gas projects to be undertaken jointly by iran and china. deputy director of china's state oil company told the iranian oil minister that the two countries have a bright furture in the area of joint oil-related projects. the chinese official said his government looked forward to benefiting from iran's participation in prospecting for oil in china and that additionally it welcomed joint investment in iran for manufacturing certain equipments used in the oil industry.

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iranians residing in lebanon to vote in presidential elections

beirut, may 23, irna -- iranians residing in beirut, ba'albek and nabatieh are to go to polls on friday for iran's presidential election. iran's embassy to beiurt, terming participation in the elections as a duty, called on iranian people to take part in polling. nearly 5,000 iranians are living in lebanon.

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world organizations praised iran's promptness in handling affairs in quake-hit regions

mashhad, may 23, irna -- some representatives from different world organizations praised the iranian government for its promtness in distributing the relief aids and conducting the rescue operation in the quake-striken areas of khorasan provice, said head of the provincial natural disaster office mehdi siyadat here on thursday. some members of the hummanitarin affairs of the united nations who visited the quake-striken region of ghaen termed the iranian rescue opperations as admirable. he quoted," iran's representative at food and agriculture organization (fao) hakimi as saying that the iranian rescuers managed to meet essentail requirements of the quake-striken victims within 48 hours. hakimi noted that the culture of aiding and rendering assistances to the needy persons has its roots in iran's historical culture. iran's representative at the united nations children fund (unicef) husseini and iran's representative at the united nations development programme (undp) emami described iran's capabilities and experiences in rendering the relief assistance to the victims as significant and acceptable by the internationl standards.