German foreign minister visits Iran

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer arrived in Tehran and met his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharazi, with whom he discussed making the final touches for the visit of Iranian President Mohammed Khatami to Germany next month.

This is considered the first visit by a German foreign minister since 1991.

This visit aims at improving the Iranian - German relations which deteriorated in 1997 following tensions between Tehran and the European Union.

This visit also aims at preparing for the Iranian president's visit to fulfill the invitation of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder which confirms the existence of new relations between Berlin and Tehran.