Iranian president starts talks in Qatar
Qatar-Iran, Politics, 5/20/1999

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani held on Wednesday a meeting with Iranian President Muhammad Khatami, who arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Qatar, his last station on his current Arab tour after stops in Syria and Saudi Arabia.

The Qatar News Agency said the ruler of Qatar and the Iranian president discussed prospects for cooperation between the two countries and means of strengthening them. The agency added that the two leaders also reviewed regional and international issues of mutual concern.

A statement released by the office of Qatar's ruler said that during Khatami's visit, several cooperation agreements will be signed between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Iran have reiterated their backing for Syria's unswerving stances that provide for ending the Israeli occupation of the Golan. The two countries also voiced their backing for the Lebanese resistance against the Israeli occupation. In a joint statement issued in Jeddah on Wednesday, the statement said that the two countries condemned the continued Israeli threats and aggressions against the civilians in Lebanon and consider these barbarous acts as the main reason for increasing tension and destabilizing the region.

They stressed the importance of ending the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon, unconditionally, according to UN Security Council resolution 425. The Saudi and Iranian sides denounced the Israeli acts of brutality and oppression which they said are in total contradiction with international norms and charters.

The stressed the importance of ending the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian territories and enabling the Palestinian people to restore their rights to establish their own independent state with holy Jerusalem as a capital.

The Saudi -Iranian joint statement stressed the importance of preserving Iraq's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying these are all matters that have to be decided only by the Iraqi people. The two sides expressed their sympathy with the Iraqi people over their sufferings. They asserted their determination to continue their efforts to lift the sufferings of the Iraqi people and called on Iraq to abide by the will of the international legitimacy. They stressed the importance of Iraq's implementation of all UN Security Council resolutions.

The two sides reviewed the current regional situation and the development of Iran's relations with the countries of the region. They noted the growth of these relations and underlined the importance of strengthening the remarkable relations between the two sides on the grounds of good neighborhood; non-intervention in internal affairs, respect of national sovereignty and independence, peaceful coexistence based on common ties of religion and heritage that linking the countries of the region so as to establish good neighborly relations to serve common interests and for security and stability in the region.

The two sides said that settling any misunderstanding between the countries of the region should be done through direct dialogue and understanding on the grounds of maintaining care over joint interests.

The Saudi side highly appreciated the policy pursued by Iranian President Muhammad Khatami in improving relations with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and intensifying their contacts and bilateral meetings.

The two sides expressed their optimism that official visits and meetings between the two sides will yield in positive results that would strengthen mutual confidence.

Previous Stories:
  Saudi-Iranian assertion to develop relations   (5/19/1999)
  Iranian president heads for Doha today   (5/18/1999)
  Iranian, Qatari talks in Tehran   (4/26/1999)
  Qatar makes preperations for Khatami's visit   (4/23/1999)

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