Tehran hosts IPU constituent conference

The Islamic Parliaments Union (IPU) on Tuesday in Tehran started the deliberations of its constituent conference at Tehran's conference hall, with delegations representing some 40 Islamic states taking part.

The spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, called in an opening speech read by his advisor, Ali Akbar Velayati, for discussing problems of concern to the Islamic world through active participation of all Islamic countries within the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Iranian President Muhammad Khatami stressed in his speech that the establishment of the IPU will contribute to mobilizing the potential of the Islamic countries in order to take their due role in the international arena and enable them to be effective in international changes taking place in the world.

The Iranian president also called on the conferees to deal with cultural, economic and social problems, especially poverty, backwardness, occupation of some lands belonging to the Islamic countries and to settle internal differences which constitute a danger to the future of the Islamic countries.