Iranian president confers with Saudi foreign minister

Iranian President Muhammad Khatami on Tuesday received Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Talks dealt with bilateral relations between the two countries and the importance of developing and strengthening them as well as cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh on means of increasing oil prices in world markets, regional and international issues of mutual concern including the situations in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.

President Khatami expressed his satisfaction over the march of bilateral cooperation between the two countries. He said: "We have to preserve this good march for the welfare and the interests of the two countries, the countries of the region and the Islamic world."

He asserted that the two countries' continuing cooperation in dealing with the oil price crisis has been positively reflected by the economic conditions in the two countries, the region and OPEC.

For his part, the Saudi FM reiterated the invitation extended by King Fahd and Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to Saudi Arabia, saying that "Saudi Arabia's people and government are waiting for this visit." President Khatami promised to hold the visit at the due time.

Meanwhile, former Iranian President Muhammad Hashami Rafsanjani met on Tuesday in Tehran with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. Talks during the meeting dealt with bilateral relations and means of developing and strengthening them as well as the results of bilateral cooperation in the area of increasing oil prices, a matter which has been positively reflected by increasing oil prices in world markets, as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Rafsanjani described fields of cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia as vast and varied. He stressed that the causes of the region and the Islamic world can be solved without foreign intervention, rather under regional cooperation and exchanging viewpoints.