Chinese, Iranian Presidents Discuss Sino-Iranian Relations

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, April 22, 2002

Chinese, Iranian Presidents Discuss Sino-Iranian Relations

President Jiang held talks with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Saturday in Tehran on Sino-Iranian relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. Khatami termed Chinese people as great people, saying that Iranian people cherish deep feeling to Chinese people.

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Jiang, Khatami Discuss Sino-Iranian Relations

Visiting Chinese President Jiang Zemin held talks with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami Saturday in Tehran on Sino-Iranian relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Extending the warmest welcome to President Jiang on behalf of the Iranian people, Khatami termed Chinese people as great people, saying that Iranian people cherish deep feeling to Chinese people.

President Khatami said that China has witnessed quick development in economic and social areas, while its international status has been rising steadily.

Khatami stressed that Iran attaches special importance to maintaining and furthering ties with China, adding President Jiang's visit will certainly enhance bilateral relations.

For his part, Jiang said both China and Iran are nations with ancient civilizations, noting that ancestors of the countries established relations through the Silk Road, and contributed to the development of world civilization.

Jiang said that the two countries have enhanced and developed friendly cooperation in political, economical and trade and cultural areas.

He said both China and Iran are developing countries and share identical or similar views on a series of major international and regional issues.

Further enhancing cooperation in regional and world affairs, which is in line with the fundamental interest of both nations, is expected to contribute to maintaining regional and international peace and stability, Jiang said.

On bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Jiang pointed out that China and Iran have achieved remarkable progress in the area, with the volume increasing on a yearly basis and the scope of economic and technological cooperation expanding constantly.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to China-Iran economic and trade ties and bilateral economies are highly complementary, Jiang said, adding China is ready to promote this relationship to a new high through mutual efforts.

Jiang said China supports President Khatami's initiative of dialogue among different civilizations, and China is ready to take an active part in such dialogue.

Jiang said that civilizations can be further developed while trust being built so long as all countries in the world respect and treat each other on an equal basis.

He said China is ready to promote dialogue, cooperation with Iran and other countries in a bid to establish a new and just political and economic world order.

Jiang said that peace and development remain the main theme of the time while the multi-polarization has not been changed.

He said China pursues independent and peaceful foreign policies, and advocates maintenance of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and respect.

He said China is against any form of hegemony or terrorism, so as to maintain the world peace and to promote the common development.

He said that all nations are equal members of the international community, and global issues should be peacefully solved through negotiation instead of resorting to force or threatening to use force.

He said China is ready to enhance solidarity and cooperation with developing countries and to maintain their legitimate rights.

Jiang said China sticks to the reform and open-up policy, and is ready to increase exchange and cooperation in economic, trade, technology and cultural sectors with all other countries on the basis of equality and mutual interest.

Khatami said China and Iran have identical or similar views on major international issues.

Khatami stressed that Iran is opposed to terrorism and violence in any forms and manifestations and is ready to contribute to easing tensions along with other countries.

On the Afghan issue, Khatami expressed his satisfaction with the peaceful development of situation in the country, adding more global efforts are needed in this regard.

Jiang said that Afghanistan has stepped onto the track of national reconciliation and reconstruction under the concerted efforts of different factions of Afghanistan and the international community.

He said that the Afghan peace process still faces many obstacles and challenges and Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected.

The Chinese president called on the international community to pay full attention to Afghanistan and help rebuild the nation quickly, adding China appreciates the active role Iran has played.

He said China supports United Nations' role in peaceful settlement of the Afghan issue, adding China is ready to participate actively in Afghanistan's post-war reconstruction.

He said both China and Iran are neighbors of Afghanistan, and peace and development should be restored in the war-shattered country.

Khatami aired Iran's viewpoint on the gulf situation, saying Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, while Iraq should implement relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council and the relating issues should be resolved by political means.

Iran is opposed to military interference in Iraq by any country, he said.

Jiang said the issues left over by the Gulf war, including the sanctions against Iraq, have long been left unsolved and greatly affected the security and development of this region.

This is not only against the basic interests of the Gulf countries, he said, but also runs counter to the world peace and stability at large.

In recent years, relevant countries have worked to improve their relations and achieved remarkable progress, he said, adding China hopes this momentum continues to be maintained and the issues left over by war should be properly handled, in line with relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council.

On the Iraqi issue, Jiang said China's stand is that Iraq should strictly implement relevant resolutions of the U.N. Security Council, restore its cooperation with the United Nations and realize the good-neighborly relations through practical action.

Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected, he said, noting that the Security Council should undertake objective appraisal of Iraq's implementation of these resolutions and lift the sanctions accordingly at an early date, so as to ease the sufferings of the Iraqi people.

He said that China, as permanent member of the Security Council, will continue to play a positive role in helping solve the issues.

Both sides also dwelled on the situation in central Asia. Jiang said China is central Asia's neighbor and has always been concerned about the regional situation.

In recent years, he said the overall situation in central Asia has been stable and various countries have made unremitting efforts and made great progress in safeguarding the national independence and sovereignty.

China hopes the stability will be maintained in the region and economy will be developed, he said.

Khatami agreed with Jiang's viewpoint on central Asia's situation, saying all countries in this region hope to develop in stable and peaceful environment.

Jiang said the Chinese government and people are deeply worried about the Middle East tension, and denounced Israel's military strike against Palestine and the siege of President Yasser Arafat.

China has strongly requested Israel to implement relevant resolutions of the Security Council and withdraw from the Palestinian areas, he said, adding China, as permanent member of the Security Council, will continue to work to ease the regional tension and make its due efforts to promote the Middle East peace process.

Khatami said the Palestinian people are suffering unprecedented misery, thus he asked the international community to be more concerned about the Palestinian issue.

Both sides also discussed other issues of shared concern.

Before the talks, Khatami hosted a welcoming ceremony in Jiang's honor.

After the talks, China and Iran signed six documents, respectively on oil and gas cooperation, on avoidance of double taxation, on post, telecommunications and information technology cooperation, on maritime transportation, on the implementation of plans for 2003-2005 cultural exchanges, and on the establishment of a joint business council.

In the evening, Khatami is scheduled to host a banquet in Jiang's honor.

Iran is the last leg of Jiang's two-week five-nation trip, which will finally take him home next Monday. Jiang had ended his state visit to Germany, Libya, Nigeria and Tunisia.

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