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tremor jolts western provincial capital

kermanshah, june 1, irna -- a tremor with a magnitude of 4 on the open ended richter scale shook kermanshah and its suburbia at 18:12:13 (13:42:13 gmt) hours local time on saturday. kermanshah's seismological center announced that the epicentre of the tremor was 25 km east of the provincial capital in the vicinity of the historcial sight of bisotoon. reports reaching here said the tremor brought no casualty or damage to the property.

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harakat-i islami: reliance on people in fight against taliban effective

mazar-i sharif, june 1, irna -- seyyed ahmad mobarez, spokesman for the hizb-i harkat-i islami headed by ayatollah asef mohseni, said here on saturday that reliance on the people and their adherence to divine goals, has the capability of destroying the most powerful military force. the rising of people against the taliban forces in the city of mazar-i sharif is an example of unity and coordination between the authorities and the people's forces, he told irna. the spokesman pointed out that the myth of taliban invincibility has been destroyed and the taliban's supporters have been given the message that they cannot fight against the will of a united nation. mobarez stated that over five thousand talibans had been cut off or wounded and over one thousand had been taken prison. "we the people shall decisively stand against and alien intrusion and that we do not consider the taliban to be the people of afghanistan as they are mercilessly massacring afghans with foreign money, weapons and plots," he said. the spokesman said the talibans who claim themselves to be the followers of the prophet (sawa) are transgressing the property, staining the honor of the people and plundering their belongings, while considering such unislamic, unethical and immoral acts as justifiable.

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samangan mopped up of taliban forces

mazar-i sharif, june 1, irna -- the northern afghan province of samangan was mopped up of the remnants of the taliban on saturday following the heavy defeats suffered by the militia as a result of the mass uprising in the northern areas. a reliable sourse told irna here that the people of samangan assisted the military forces in inflicting heavy casualities on the taliban militia. over 150 taliban forces were captured during the past 24 hours in tashqarqan pass and large quantities of arms and ammunitions were seized, he added. samangan province lies between balkh, bamian, baghlan and kunduz provinces, and it connects mazar-i sharif to the northeastern provinces. no details are yet available on taliban casualities, but according initial reports a lagre number of the taliban forces have been killed or wounded. many groups of taliban militia fled to the mountains or sought refuge in the houses of qandahari and pashtun peoples living in samangan, said the source.

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senior qatari official hails khatami's election

abu dhabi (uae), june 1, irna -- sheikh jassim bin hamad al thani, head of the qatari council of ministers and foreign minister, sent a congratulatory message to iranian president-elect hojjatoleslam seyyed mohammad khatami on tuesday. at the inaugural ceremony of the sixty third session of foreign ministers of the persian gulf cooperation council held in riyadh, al thani, who is also qatar's heir apparent, expressed hope that (p)gcc looked forward to further expansion of relations with islamic iran. according to the report, the qatari official deplored turkey's incursion into northern iraq, saying it was an open transgression of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of iraq. he demanded the withdrawal of turkish forces from iraqi territory. in his speech, al thani blamed the zionist regime for the failure of the so-called middle east peace process. he considered the policies pursued by the zionists, their insistance on construction of jewish settlements and their breach of promise in relation to the signed accords for palestinian self-rules, to be the main factors of stagnancy in the so-called peace process.

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nateq nouri re-elected parliament speaker

tehran, june 1, irna -- hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri has been re-elected as the speaker of the 270-seat majlis for another one-year term with a majority of votes. out of 243 deputies present in the open session of the majlis sunday morning, 211 voted for nateq nouri. hojatoleslam nateq nouri was the only candidate for the post. in the elections for the presiding board of the majlis last year hojatoleslam nateq nouri had secured 146 votes. the majlis speaker was one of the main contenders in the may 23 presidential elections. he represents tehran constituency in the fifth majlis.

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over six billion rials worth of goods exported from gorgan

gorgan, mazandaran prov., june 1, irna -- the head of the institute of standards and industrial research (isir) in gorgan and gonbad announced here sunday that over six billion rials worth of non-oil products have been exported from this region since the beginning of the current iranian year (started march 21, 1997). potatoes, apples, macaroni, biscuits, chemicals, electrical appliances were the main items exported, according to mohammad reza afshar. the commodities, weighing more than 7,093 tons, have been exported to russia, ukraine, turkmenistan, kazakhstan, tajikistan, kyrgyzstan and uzbekistan, he said.

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daily on pgcc's latest overture

tehran, june 1, irna -- the english daily 'tehran times' on sunday welcomed the latest friendly gesture by some members of the persian gulf cooperation council (pgcc) members towards iran. commenting on the remarks of the qatari foreign minister at the opening of the two-day foreign ministerial meeting of the council, the daily added in its editorial, ''the latest overtures of some of the members of the pgcc indicate that our brothers in the persian gulf are going to be rational in their approach to iran in the future.'' sheikh hamad bin jassem al-thani in his address called for greater cooperation between iran and arab countries stating that iran has always advocated close ties with its southern neighbors and is also the only country in the region to seriously oppose any kind of foreign intervention. however, there are many obstacles in the way of iran's relationship with the arab states of the persian gulf. ''firstly, in the aftermath of the collapse of the soviet union, the u.s. had to create a perceived threat for the persian gulf countries to keep the kettle of arms sales boiling. secondly iran's opposition to israeli domination over the middle east, on the one hand and the arab countries' warm relations with tel aviv-corollary of their close ties with the u.s.-on the other, have been the main hitches in the way of iran's closer ties with the arab states of the persian gulf.'' in the meantime the united arab emirates has been attaching too much importance to u.s. dictates instead of giving priority to their national interests resulting in minor bilateral misunderstandings. fortunately the israeli breach of the so-called peace agreements have made the arab sates to come to the conclusion that iran's stance on the middle east has been most appropriate. since iran has always advocated messages of peace and closer ties with all its neighbors, muslim nations and third world countries, the arab neighbors should not miss this opportunity. the editorial concluded by hoping that everything will go well in the two-day pgcc ministerial meeting. ''we expect our brothers at this crucial juncture not to offend iran in their final declaration by repeating baseless claims as in the past.''

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gilan tea factories need renovation

rasht, gilan province, june 1,irna -- the governor general of gilan province said here sunday that out of 121 tea producing factories, in the province, 100 need repair and renovation. ali akbar taheri added that rls 30 billion credit is needed to carry out these repairs and renovation. he said, ''the total production capacity will increase by one hundred tons, after repairs and renovation.'' during the last iranian year 1375 (ended march 21, 1997), 67,000 tons of dried tea was produced from 32,000 hectares of tea gardens in gilan and western mazandaran provinces.

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course on islamic sciences concludes in tuzla

sarajevo, june 1, irna -- a graduation ceremony was held in conclusion of the 271st course on islamic sciences at bahram beik theological school in tuzla, bosnia-herzegovina, saturday afternoon. the iranian embassador to sarajevo, mohammad ebrahim taherian, and the cultural attache of the iranian embassy were present in the ceremony. the bosnian reis-ul-ulema, mustafa ceric, referring to the great love and interest of the bosnian muslims in islam, said that holding such courses marks a success for the muslims. the ceremony was attended by many bosnian officials and a number of diplomats from kuwait and saudi arebia.

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daily on nato expansion

tehran, june 1, irna -- a morning daily here sunday commented on expansion of ties between russia and nato, saying that russian president boris yeltsin has recently set aside his serious fear about that organization's eastward expansion and signed an accord on ties with the 16 western allies. political experts, however, believe that negative consequences of north atlantic treaty organization's enlargement will be increased to the maximum level everywhere, western europe, russia and even in america itself, the english daily 'iran news' added in its editorial. ''president bill clinton has been the driving force behind nato's plans to expand into central and eastern europe,'' it said adding that there are several disagreements over this issue in europe as well as in the u.s. many europeans, particularly the french, believe that america is continuously trying to impose itself on the countries of that part of the world as 'big brother', the editorial said. as to countries where the people want to join their european partners to strengthen their economies rather than obtain sophisticated nato weapons, it said, ''russia is the best expample where last tuesday's elysee palace accord is being considered as an act of surrender.'' quoting other countries as saying that the warsaw pact disappeared following the disintegration of the soviet union, the paper wrote that they believe that after the fall of the red empire, nato could also have gone the way of the warsaw pact. commenting on disagreement of the american people with clinton's policy, the article noted that some in the u.s. beleieve that he may face a problem in the congress over the move which cannot proceed without senate approval by a two-third majority. ''increasingly heated debates could be noticed in western europe where during the soviet era an alliance with america was considered a deliverance. now, however, most western europeans believe that there is no justification for a u.s. militarily presence in europe.'' the feeling that america is the biggest obstacle to europe's self-reliance, not only in defense but also in other areas of development, are rapidly increasing among the europeans, the daily concluded.

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all legal political factions should be represented in establishment

tehran, june 1, irna -- an english daily sunday commented on the recent presidential elections in iran and the elections for the presiding board of the majlis, saying that the iranian nation made histroy on may 23 when they elected hojatoleslam mohammad khatami with a huge majority. calling for active participation of the nation in all affairs of the country, 'kayhan international' added that iran's nati nal interests require that all legal political factions be represented in the establishment. ''khatami's future administration will suffer if groups close to the president-elect make a sensational move aimed at ousting their rivals,'' the editorial said. khatami's large mandate has put him in a strong position to work for a better and more prosperous iran and any reforms must be carried out gently to avoid tension, it underlined. the article concluded by saying that, the people now have a lot of expectations from the president-elect and khatami will more likely be able to fulfil his promises and implement his plans in a calm and healthy atmoshphere, that is free from tension and factional confrontations.

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''u.s. ill will exists,'' says iran daily

tehran, june 1, irna -- the newly-published english language 'iran daily' sunday, commented in its editorial on the recent u.s move to mend fences with iran. president bill clinton told reporters in london on thursday that u.s. was unhappy with the unpleasant diplomatic relationship it is experiencing with iran for the past 18 years and hoped ''estrangemets'' between tehran and washington can be ''breached.'' the editorial added that clinton did not add anything new to international public opinion. ''the world's free peoples have known for long that the u.s. has tried to improve relations with iran without abandoning its rivalry or the drive for total influence over and domination of this part of the world.'' ''on the same wavelength, this column too will not venture into the highly complex vicissitudes of iran-u.s. relations. at best we will try to make a cautious assessment of tehran's foreign policy and not resort to patriotic comparisons nor to ignorant value judgments.'' it continued, ''our relations with outsiders was and is still rooted in the principle of mutual respect and interests, non-interference and good will on both sides. for all the known reasons, the u.s. does not have a clean track record in iran.'' the problem dates back to 1979 since the asylum of the toppled mohammad reza shah right up to the present day, where washington has never ceased or missed an opportunity to humiliate tehran. ''adding insult to injury is the u.s. decision to freeze iranian assets, direct military, diplomatic and trade provocations.'' allegations of ''terrorism, developing weapons of mass destruction and using violence to wreck the middle east peace process is the perpetual premise of america's iran policy, added the editorial. ''we can put the argument on the table that the u.s. strategy vis-a-vis iran is largely influenced by the strong jewish lobby in america. the result has a hodgepodge of truth and reality, illusion, hope, misconception and wishful thinking. ''before anybody talks about reconciliation between the two important countries it would be absolutely necessary to change mindsets in the u.s. policy making establishment. ''under the circumstances and demonstrated ill will on the other side of the atlantic where is the motivation for iran to seriously consider a normal relationship with the u.s.? ''clinton's latest iran statement were at best unconvicing. understanding, like good-will gestures helps when the road is rough. words may be good, but what really matters is deeds. this, obviously, is a burdensome regulation washington has mostly honored in the breach,'' concluded the editorial.

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tribal centers to be organized

bushehr, june 1, irna -- the deputy head for development of the organization for tribal affairs said here saturday that the operation to organize 39 centers out of the 419 identified centers in the country has begun. nasreddin shahrokhi, speaking at the fifth nationwide symposium to review problems concerning the tribal community in bushehr, said: ''with the completion and operation of these centers, more than 11,800 tribal families will be organized.'' he added that in the context of settlement of the tribal society, an initial comprehensive survey has been carried out on 127 out of 163 habitats. shahrokhi noted that in the current iranian year 1376, (started march 21, 1997), rls 96 billion has been allocated for development projects for tribal affairs, which shows an increase of rls 16 billion as compared to the previous year. he said that by the end of the calendar year 1375, the most important services rendered for the welfare of the tribal population include the establishment of more than 80 kerosene distribution centers, 80 gas cylinder storage and distribution centers, five cylinder infusion centers, and distribution of 24,000 gas cylinders among 1,000 members of the tribal population. the fifth symposium of the heads of the tribal affairs which was held in bushehr for three days had as one of its goals the identifcation of the problems and deficiencies of the tribal society, and also to propose solutions to remedy them. one of the aims of the three-day symposium of the heads of tribal affairs throughout the country, is to identify the problems and deficiencies affecting the tribal population and propose possible remedies.

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president urges nation to contribute to rebuild iran

tehran, june 1, irna -- president akbar hashemi rafsanjani here sunday urged the iranian nation to take an active role in building a developed islamic iran and creating a better future for youths. the president made the remark while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the second phase of the center for cultural and artistic creativity, affiliated to the center for intelectual development of children and young adults. rafsanjani, whose term in office will end in august, said that making efforts to build and ensure a better future for the children and young adults are the sweetest accomplishments of his term in office. he further noted that allocation of 30 percent of art and literature publications and 20 percent of films to children is a source of pride. some 2,000 cultural and art centers have been set aside for use by children and young adults, the president added. turning to crucial role of women in different educational scenes, president rafsanjani said that the women's presence in various aspects of society will be more prominant in the future.

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morality lays strong foundation for family: ayatollah amini

tehran, june 1 , irna -- the secretary of the experts assembly, ayatollah ibrahim amini, sunday said that if women's rights are considered without paying attention to moralities, the iranian women will face the same status as the one faced by western women. he said that apart from the rights, in islam, attention to morality is essential towards building a sound family and strengthening its basis. due to this reason this dimension should be taken into account while reviewing family problems. morality keeps the family atmosphere warm and promotes the sense of forgiveness. therefore, morality is the only factor which encourages either of the couple to observe family rules, noted ayatollah amini. the ayatollah concluded that the problems facing the women who have been oppressed throughout history can only be solved through legal and moral discussions. this is because there are elements in moral principles which do not exist in legal discussions. through the application of these elements a durable family life can be guaranteed.

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remains of 20 martyrs of imposed war handed over to iran

kermanshah, june 1, irna -- the remains of 20 iranian combatants martyred during the 1980-88 iraqi imposed war were handed to iranian officials at khosravi border crossing sunday. in return, iran delivered remains of 67 iraqi soldiers to iraq. head of the committee in charge of searching for those missing in action brigadier general mir faisal baqerzadeh said sunday that the iranian combatants had attained martyrdom in sumar and mandali fronts. iran and iraq agreed on sunday to launch a joint search opperation to locate bodies left from the imposed war. the committee affiliated to the armed forces command headquarters, has far discovered the bodies of 33,000 iranian martyrs and delivered them to their families.

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president-elect opens congress on late imam khomeini

tehran, june 1, irna -- president-elect hojatoleslam mohammad khatami on sunday opened a congress on the late imam khomeini and revival of religious thought. speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the congress, khatami said the doctrine of the late imam was to persuade the world to return to religion and divine values. he also lauded the integrated personality of the late founder of the islamic revolution. the late imam's interpretation of religion and religious ideology was such that it honoured the values and principles of religion and was also in conformity with republicanism. ''the late imam's revolution was the accomplishment of a move to build a civilized society based on religion, whereas the west founded its civilization by turning its back on religion,'' hojatoleslam khatami said. he said in the opinion of the late imam, man was entitled to determine his own destiny, not having to do what is dictated to him from above. the president-elect said the right to decide one's own fate does not apply to men alone but is shared by men and women equally. the late imam khomeini's ideas about various social issues were all new, khatami said, adding that imam had also played a pivotal role when it came to the public interest. at a time when the world is plagued with bullying, intimiation, murder and lies, the islamic revolution has embarked on holding dialogues with schoalars from other divine religions in an effort to establish a durable peace in the world.

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islamic revolution, supporter of british muslims

tehran, june 1, irna -- the triumph of the islamic revolution and the thoughs of the late imam khomeini are considered as strong backing for british muslims, vice speaker of the islamic parliament of britain jahangir mohammad said here on sunday. speaking on the sidelines of an international congeress on imam khomeini and revival of religious thought, he said that with the victoy of the islamic revolution and promulgation of imam khomeini's thoughts, the british muslims found more courage to express their veiws and opinions. jahangir said that the islamic revolution under the leadership of the late imam khomeini was an intellectual revolution because it could totally change the views of the intellectual strata of society.

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speaker: majlis will cooperate with next cabinet

tehran, june 1, irna -- majlis speaker hojatoleslam ali akbar nateq nouri said here on sunday that majlis would cooperate with the next cabinet of president-elect hojatoleslam mohammad khatami as it did with the government of president akbar hashemi rafsanjani. speaking to reporters after his re-election to his post, nateq nouri said that both the leader of the islamic revolution ayatollah seyed ali khamenei and people would like the majlis to do its legal duties well and refrain from factionalism. the majlis speaker said, ''passing legislation and supervising the executive body is the two main tasks of the majlis which were fulfilled well in the fourth and fifth terms of the parliament and i predict that majlis will maintain its independence while cooperating with the next government.'' on today's election of the presiding board of the majlis, nateq said the composition of the new presiding board is almost the same as before with some minor differences. ''i think i will have good cooperation with the new presiding board,'' the majlis speaker pointed out.

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iran, bangladesh to sign contract for fishery cooperation

ahvaz, khuzestan province, june 1, irna -- iran and bangladesh are to sign a contract for mutual cooperation in area of fishery, the deputy minister for fisheries and livestock mohammad ershad al-haq said on sunday. at the end of his visit to soem fish farms in the provinces of bushehr and khuzestan, he said that iran has made great progress in this field. the bangladeshi deputy minister said that the existing areas of cooperation between iran and bangladesh in the fields of fisheries and animal husbandry made it possible for both sides to exchange their epertiese and experiences in this regard.een bangladesh produces 1.2 million tons of fishery products annualy using 1.5 million fish farming pools.

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saturday afternoon's newspaper headlines

tehran, may 31, irna -- the following headlines appeared in tehran's newspapers this afternoon:
kayhan:
-mourners preparing to commemorate demise anniversary of imam khomeini
-mps on possible structure of majlis chairmanship
-chadormalu mining complex, meibod-bad railroad track to be inaugurated tomorrow
-ayatollah jannati: new generation should know about imam khomeini's behavoiour, actions
-anti-taliban forces within 50 kilometers of kabul
ettela'at:
-president: iran will become an industrial country in next decade
-anti-taliban coaliton forces reach gates of kabul
-iran, china agree to boost trade cooperation
-president-elect responds to congratulatory messages of foreign dignitaries
resalat:
-president: iran to be among most developed industrial nations
-president inspects khorasan's quake-hit areas
-martyred construction jihad commanders, those of tehran province commemorated
-nejad husseinian: contract for development of belal oil field inked.

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ambassador: iranian nuclear activities for peaceful purposes

almaty, may 31, irna -- iranian ambassador to almaty hassan qashqavi said here on saturday iran is not after acquiring nuclear arms and its nuclear facilities are solely for scientific and industrial purposes under permanent supervision of the international atomic energy agency (iaea).
speaking at a press conference, qashqavi said the islamic republic of iran regards nuclear arms as disasterous and has always called in various international fora for ban on production and proliferation os such weapons.
''iran is a signatory to and committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (npt) and its commitment has always been confirmed by the iaea,'' he said.
qashqavi said, ''we are victims of terrorism ourselves and the islamic republic of iran is against any kind of terrorism, something which is clear to all people of the world.''
the diplomacy of the islamic republic of iran is based on non-interference in the domestic affairs of other countries so that iran never intervenes in the internal affairs of the others, he said, adding that as for the question of palestine, iran merely announces its own viewpoints.
''we believe that the palestinian people have the right to determine their own fate and this is what the united nations has insisted on in its various resolutions,''qashqavi concluded.

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eu envoy discusses europe-iran relations with velayati

tehran, may 31, irna -- head of european union's council of ministers and the dutch foreign minister's special envoy count de marchant d'ansembourg here on saturday held talks with iranian foreign minister ali akbar velayati on the latest developments in iran-eu relations. d'ansembourg who is leading a european delegation to tehran had also conferred with foreign ministry director-general for western europe ali ahani earlier today.

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31 pc growth in iran's non-oil exports

tehran, may 31, irna -- the volume of iran's non-oil commodities exported abroad during march-april, 1997 amounted to dlrs. 192 million, registering a 31 percent increase in terms of weight compared to the corresponding period last year.
director general for export promotion department at the industries ministry ahmad ghasemi said on saturday that export of manufactured goods by units affiliated to the ministry of industries reached dlrs. 84 million during march-april period, showing an increase of 100 percent compared to similar period last year.
deputy commercial manager of iran's tobacco company abdul hamid shakuri said that as per schedule the total export of the company increased from dlrs. 659,000 in the year 1373 to over dlrs. 8 million last year.

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saturday's deals at tehran stock exchange

tehran, may 31, irna -- a total of 414,293 shares, worth over 30.4 billion, were traded for 434 applicants, in 969 turns at the tehran stock exchange on saturday.
in today's deals the shares of 17 companies made gains, while those of 31 others declined.
the general index for saturday's deals stood at 1873.75 points, down 4.78 points compared to the figure on wednesday.

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iran, uae agree to expand re-insurance cooperation

tehran, may 31, irna -- iran and the united arab emirates signed contract to expand re-insurance cooperation between the two countries.
the contract was signed at the end of meeting between head of iran's central insurance (bimeh markazi) abdolnaser hemmati and head of union of insurance agents of the uae abdul-rahman saif al-gharir on friday.
in the meeting hemmati expressed his company's willingness to broaden bilateral cooperation in the area of re-insurance operations.

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iran calls on regional states to try to ease afghan crisis

tehran, may 31, irna -- iran's foreign minister ali akbar velayati here on saturday called on all regional countries to endeavor to ease the afghan crisis and prevent it from endangering the peace and stability of the region.
velayati in separate telephone conversations with his kazakh counterpart kasymzhomart tokayev and kyrgyz minister for foreign affairs roza otunbayeva said that foreign intervention in the internal affairs of afghanistan would further complicate the current situation in afghanistan.
pointing to the crucial living conditions of people in northern afghanistan as a result of recent flareup of civil war, velayati called for despatch of humanitarian aid to the region.
the kazakh and kyrgyz foreign ministers voicing their countries' concern about the deterioration of situation in afghanistan said that both countries while closly watching developments in afghanitan will send humanitarian aid to that country soon.
the three ministers also underlined the need to pay attention to the consequences of afghan crisis for the national security of regional countries and to continue consultations to find a solution to the problem.
the ministers once again underlined that they will support the government of president burhanuddin rabbani as the only legitimate government in afghanistan.

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un asks islamic iran to help settle afghanistan crisis

islamabad, may 31, irna -- in a meeting with mohammad mahdi akhondzadeh, the iranian ambassador to pakistan here saturday, norbert holl, the un envoy in afghanistan affairs lauded iran for its effective role in trying to defuse regional crises, asking the islamic republic of iran to help in urgently resolving the ongoing bloodshed in afghanistan.
holl told the iranian ambassador that the crisis in afghanistan has reached a perilous point, adding under the current circumstances, all the factions needed to become aware of the situation there and try to resolve their problems through negotiations.
the un special envoy indicated that he had intended to fly to kabul during the past few days, however, the talibans did not prepare the ground for his visit there.
holl then pointed out that during the past few days efforts had been made and the un is now expected to help the fighting factions in the exchange of bodies.
refering to the set norms of policy followed by the islamic republic of iran, akhondzadeh stated that islamic iran is all set to help resolve the afghanistan crisis through the process of negotiation aimed at reaching an understanding by involving all factions in conflict.
the iranian ambassador said that resorting to military means for the afghan solution is the worst policy and unfortunately some factions have adopted such a stance.
akhondzadeh added that such a military measure would not only help to augment the sufferings of the deprived but it would also make the matter more complicated for the afghanistan nation in addition to boosting the statistics of the victims of the conflict.
refering to the inking of the tajikstan peace treaty in tehran, the iranian ambassador said that islamic iran was ready to mediate in order to bring the afghan crisis to an (honorable) end.
he said that islamic iran was very much concerned about the present condition in afghanistan as its persistence would further trigger insecurity in the region.
akhondzadeh concluded that since the united nations shoulders heavy responsibility of finding solutions to regional crises, it should take the initiative in the affairs of afghanistan.

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tehran-nairobi medical and health cooperation reviewed

tehran, may 31, irna -- kenyan minister of health jackson mulinge in a meeting with the iranian ambassador seyyed mohammad-kazem hassani tabatabaei in nairobi on friday voiced his country's readiness for the promotion of cooperation in the areas of medical training, exchange of medical delegations and purchase of medicine and sanitary products with islamic iran. in the meeting, tabatabaei underlined the need to put into execution the two countries' memorandum of understandings inked during president rafsanjani's visit to kenya last year, adding that islamic iran attached great importance to the irano-kenyan medical and health cooperation. he also voiced iran's readiness for exchange of medical delegations, setting up of bilateral medical symposium, training and vaccination campaign against comprehensive diseases. the meeting stipulated that a kenyan medical expert delegation pay a visit to islamic republic of iran in order to undertake preliminary study and review items of cooperation in the related areas between the two countries.

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unesco chief congratulates president-elect khatami

tehran, june 1, irna -- the director general of united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco), federico mayor in a message cabled through un's office in tehran on sunday has congratulated president-elect hojatolesam mohammad khatami on his election victory. in the message he said " i wish you every success in the supremely important role you are called on to play and sincerely hope the cooperation between the islamic republic of iran and unesco will be furter strengthened under your leadership".

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sunday afternoon's newspapers headlines

tehran, june 1, irna -- the following headlines appeared in tehran's newspapers this afternoon:
kayhan:
-khatami: velayat-e faqih, most outstanding aspects of late imam khomeini's thought, cornerstone of islamic system
-prisiding board of majlis elected for one-year term
-special programms for 8th demise anniversary of late imam khomeini announced
- attracting people's funds for implementation of national projects should be regareded as a public culture
ettela'at:
-president: late imam khomeini's massive movement should pivotal axis of the youth activities
-president calls on nation to contribute to national cosntruction effort
-hojjatoleslam nateq nouri once again re-elected as majlis speaker
-in imam's thoughts, man's forgotten rights has been revived
- taliban confess to their defeats in northern afghanistan
resalat:
-president: late imam khomeini's movement shows ability of religion to adminster society

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more oil cooperation between iran, nigeria discussed

tehran, june 1 -- visiting nigerian minister of state for petrolium resources kabir soleiman a meeting on sunday with iranian oil minister gholamreza aqazadeh called for close cooperation between his country and iran regarding expert training, exchange of information and experience as well as transfer of knowhow in the field of oil industry. during the meeting the two ministers discussed ways and means of implementation of bilateral agreements on oil cooperation. enjoying good experience in engineering and technical services export in oil industry to african and asian countries, iran is considering cooperation with nigeria which is like iran an opec member. the nigerian minister who is heading a ranking delegation in his latest travel to iran, has repeatedly visited iran's oil industry in recent years.

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fm spokesman stresses expansion of ties with persian gulf

countries tehran, june 1, irna -- the spokesman of iranian foreign ministry mahmoud mohammadi on sunday underlined iran's constant policy of expansion and consolidation of ties with neighboring and muslim countries notably the persian gulf states. the official observed that iran has always considered cooperation among the regional countries as the only way of consolidation of stability and security in this strategic region and consistent with strengthening of international peace and stability. on the statement issued at the recent meeting of the foreign ministers of the persian gulf council members, mohammadi made clear that continued cooperation among regional countries would undoubtedly enhance relations and help resolve any probable misunderstandings and also stengthen mutual trust in relations. the spokesman of the foreign ministry also underlined that the three persian gulf islands of abu mussa, the greater tunb and the lesser tunb are considered as inseparable parts of the iranian territory. mohammadi remarked that bilateral negotiation between iran and the united arab emirates is the only way of removing any misunderstandings, adding that tehran is ready to have talks with uae on the subject.