Sunday, July 1, 2007

Tehran ,Caracas Strengthen Ties

TEHRAN, July 1-- Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a meeting with his visiting Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez on Sunday said imperialism is facing a strong wave of opposition in a majority of the world regions, and added that victory is close due to the shaky pillars of the world arrogance.

Ahmadinejad pointed to Iran's policy for developing relations with independent countries, and stressed that Tehran and Caracas seek to bolster cooperation in the different sectors in a bid to lay the required grounds for the development of Iran's relations with the independent states in Latin America.

He also viewed expansion of ties and boosting of cooperation among the world free and independent nations as necessary, and underlined that independent countries can pave the way for the progress and welfare of their nations through assisting each other.

The president further referred to the ample potentials existing in Latin America, and cited establishment of joint trade companies, arrangement of fairs to display manufactured goods and products and reinvigoration of a joint investment fund as among possible ways for the Latino states to develop ties with other countries, specially Iran.

For his part, Venezuelan president briefed Ahmadinejad about the latest conditions in Latin American, and stressed that cooperation among independent countries, including Iran and Venezuela, plays an effective role in defeating imperialistic policies and rescuing nations.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said that cooperation between independent countries such as Iran and Venezuela could play an effective role "in defeating imperialistic policies and deliverance of nations."

Chavez predicted that Iran's resistance against the US would eventually be successful.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez are to take part in a ceremony to break the ground for construction of a joint methanol complex on Monday.

The National Petrochemical Company (NPC), the methanol complex will annually produce one million tons of methanols with the cooperation of the National Petrochemical Industries Company of Iran and the Venezuelan Petrochemical Company.

The complex lies in the Pars Special Economic Energy Zone.

After establishing Iran-Venezuela joint petrochemical company, the two countries will construct a methanol unit in the southern area of Assalouyeh, Iran, and another one in industrial zone of Zigma in Venezuela.

The two sides will benefit from establishing the methanol units including easy access to the markets of Latin America and Brazil as well as Pakistan and India.

Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh and a number of officials active in petrochemical and oil sectors will accompany Ahmadinejad and Chavez at the ceremony of breaking ground for methanol project.

Chavez, who is visiting Iran for the third time during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was welcomed at Tehran Mehrabad International Airport by Minister of Industries and Mines Alireza Tahmasbi.

The Venezuelan president's current visit is the last leg of a tour that has taken him to Russia and Belarus.

He is scheduled to hold talks with senior Iranian officials, during his official two-day visit, on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments.