Iran's Economical Papers' Headlines:
ABRAR
"Japan to help Iran expand its textile industry"
The Japanese Nichimen Corporation will participate in a project
to develop Iran's textile industry. Nichimen Corporation in joint
cooperation with IRCI state enterprise of Japan will provide Iranian
textile production companies with the necessary equipment, raw
materials as well as the related technical and administrative
know-how.
-- ABRAR-E EQTESADI
"Iran following projects to collect associated gas of continental
shelf"
Iran is considering to launch projects to collect the
associated gas of oil fields in Kharg, Bahregan and Siri, and is
planning to put those projects at tenders.
-- AFARINESH
"Peugeot proposes to buy shares of Iran Khodro"
The French giant auto producer Peugeot has proposed to buy as
much as 51 percent of shares of Iran Khodro Industrial Group at a
price basis of one dollar.
-- AFTAB
"IRISL transported over 7m tons of goods in 3 months"
The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) in a statement
on Monday announced that it had transported over 7.6 million tons of
goods in a period of three months starting March 21.
-- ENTEKHAB
"Commerce minister rejects reports on rice imports into Iran"
Minister of Commerce Mohammad Shariatmadari on Monday stressed
that his ministry has issued no license for importing rice into the
country, and termed reports in that connection as "sheer lies".
-- IRAN
"Private sector to construct six power plants in Iran"
The government is considering to contract the construction of
Assalouyeh and Chabahar power plants to the private sector. Also, the
government is planning to conclude build-operate-transfer (BOT) deals
with the private sector for the construction of Shirvan, Tabriz and
Jalal power plants.
-- IRAN DAILY
"Wheat production improving"
Minister of Agriculture Jihad Mahmoud Hojjati said on Monday that
wheat imports will fall to less than one million tons by next March,
adding that the new development will materialize in the wake of
a 10-percent growth in domestic wheat production this year compared
to the amount last year.
-- IRAN NEWS
"Six petrochemical projects under study"
Six new petrochemical projects are being studied or have been
completed at Bandar Imam Special Economic-Petrochemical Zone and
Assalouyeh port, including olefins 8, 11 and 12, GTL 1 and 2, and PVC.
-- JAVAN
"Iran to contract 270 projects worth Dlrs 2.2b to foreign firms"
Iran will contract 270 national projects totally worth 2.2 billion
dollars to foreign investors within the course of Tabriz International
Exhibition of Investment Opportunities, to open today.
-- JOMHOURI-E ESLAMI
"Iran to lay 3,300 kms of rail tracks"
Managing Director of the Islamic Republic Railways Company
Mohammad Saeednejad said here Monday that operations are underway to
lay 3,300 kilometers of tracks, the most important segment being the
1,000 kms Bafq-Mashhad track.
-- KAR-O KAREGAR
"Interests of car imports to be paid to state employees"
MP Gholam-Hossein Aqaei, a member of Majlis Industries and Mines
Commission, said on Monday that the interests derived from the import
of cars will be paid to the state employees, stressing that there will
be special discounts for importing cars to boost the interests.
-- KAYHAN INTERNATIONAL
"IDB extends 10mn euros in loan to Iranian company"
Islamic Development Bank is to extend a loan of 10 million euros
to Iran's Golbaft Spinning Company. Public Relations Department at
the Ministry of Economy and Finance said on Monday that the sum would
be extended to the company to help it meet its required basic items.
-- SEDA-YE EDALAT
"Gov't to buy all surplus rice production of farmers"
Minister of Commerce Mohammad Shariatmadari said Monday that
the government is considering to buy all the surplus rice production
of farmers "with no restriction" in the current farming year.
-- SIASAT-E ROOZ
"Iran to connect railways to Iraq, Syria, Mediterranean Sea"
Managing Director of the Islamic Republic Railways Company
Mohammad Saeednejad said on Monday that Iran is planning to connect
its railways to Iraq, Syria and the Mediterranean Sea.
-- TEHRAN TIMES
"Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce elects ad hoc board of directors"
In a meeting of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce in Tehran
on Sunday, an ad hoc board of directors was elected to assess mutual
trade ties and solve the current obstacles and difficulties.
-- TOSSE'EH
"Bahman Group inks cooperation agreement with Japan's Mitsubishi"
Managing director of Bahman Industrial Group announced on Monday
that the group has signed a contract with the Japanese giant auto
producer Mitsubishi Motors to represent the company in Iran and also
to produce its Pajero cars in the Islamic Republic.
http://www.irna.ir/en/head/030812144755.ehe.shtmlIran calls for strong ties with Iraq
Tuesday, August 12, 2003 - ©2003 IranMania.com
Tehran, Aug 11, IRNA -- Iran on Monday said it sought to forge strong ties with Iraq which waged an imposed war against the Islamic Republic between 1980 and 1988 during the rule of ousted Saddam Hussein.
However, it called for patience to say when Tehran would recognize a US-appointed Governing Council, a 25-member body which roughly reflects Iraq's ethnic and religious make-up.
"Our official position will be announced (in due time) but we should exercise patience in this respect," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters at a weekly news briefing.
Asefi said, "We would like to forge strong relations with our neighbor now that its dictatorial government, which kept the two countries separated for years, is gone."
The official called for the immediate pullout of occupying forces from Iraq in order to end chaos in that country.
"To establish peace in Iraq, the occupying forces must immediately pull out from that country and leave Iraq's future to its own people.
"It is only in this case that one can hope the internal chaos in Iraq will end," Asefi added.
Iran recently dispatched its first high-ranking delegation for discussions with the Governing Council to shore up fences between the two countries.
Asefi hailed the trip as 'positive', saying it enabled Iran to 'clarify our stances, views and approaches towards Iraq and hear the views' of the other side.
Iranian officials met with members of the Governing Council as well as several Iraqi clerics and UN special representative on Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, he said.
"All the individuals whom the delegation met with ... described the visit as very positive and valuable and stressed on expanding and strengthening relations with Iran," Asefi said.
He described economic transactions between the two countries in recent months as good, saying Iran exported 160 million dollars of goods to Iraq in the period.
NO IRAQI POWS IN IRAN
Asefi stressed that Iran holds no Iraqi prisoners from the 1980-1988 war. "There is no Iraqi POW in Iran and all the registered POWs and those who were in Iran have been freed," he said.
The statements apparently came in reaction to demonstrations held by around 50 people in Baquba, 60 kilometers northeast of Baghdad, to demand the release of Iraqi POWs in Iran and compensation for those already freed.
Iran itself says that close to 4,000 Iranian prisoners of war in Iraq still remain unaccounted for.
The country has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to help establish the fate of its remaining prisoners of war in Iraq. Tehran has already accused US of intending to 'blackmail' the Islamic Republic on the fate of missing Iranians.
The Islamic Republic has also said that it considers US-British troops responsible for any threat against Iranian PoWs who may still be in Iraqi prisons.
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