Jordan Times
Monday, August 10, 1998
Anani holds talks with Khatami, Iranian officials
TEHRAN (Agencies) — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jawad
Anani, who is on an official visit to Iran, delivered a letter from His Majesty King
Hussein to Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Sunday regarding bilateral relations and
issues of common concern.
In the message, King Hussein emphasised Jordan's keenness to develop relations with Iran
in all fields and laid emphasis on Jordan's concern over the image of Muslims and the need
for safeguarding Muslims' common interests, said Anani.
The foreign minister said that the message drew a positive response from the Iranian
president who asked that his greetings and wishes for a speedy recovery be conveyed to the
King.
According to Anani, the message included an invitation to the Iranian president to visit
Jordan. President Khatami accepted the invitation and promised to pay the visit as soon as
possible, he said.
At the meeting, President Khatami was reported to have described Israel as a
“plague” and “the greatest enemy of Islam and humanity.”
Iranian state radio quoted the president as saying during the meeting that in order”
to resist this plague there is no solution except for unity among Muslim countries.”
The Iranian president also said Tehran is “worried about the Zionist regime's bases
in the region.”
“Our interests require a serious struggle against the hegemony of the Zionist
regime,” he added.
Anani on Sunday also met with Ali Akbar Nateq-Nuri, the speaker of the Iranian Shura
council, with whom he reviewed Jordanian-Iranian ties and discussed Iran's role in the
Islamic world as well as the upcoming visit of the Jordanian parliamentary delegation' to
Iran which will take place next week.
In addition, Anani also met with the Iranian minister of Industry, Gholam Rida Shafei and
reviewed Jordanian-Iranian economic ties.
Anani described a protocol signed by Iran and Jordan last January as a major achievement
as it opened the way for businessmen in the two countries to embark on economic ventures.
The Iranian minister voiced his country's support for possible joint ventures saying that
the two countries should remove all barriers in the path of bilateral trade.
Anani on Saturday met his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi and reviewed political,
economic and cultural cooperation.
At the political level the two ministers discussed efforts for achieving a comprehensive
Middle East peace and the restoration of the Palestinian's rights in their homeland as
well as the question of Jerusalem.
The two sides emphasised the need for implementing the resolutions of the Jerusalem
Committee which held its meetings in Morocco aimed at safeguarding the Arab and Islamic
identity of the holy city.