Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi arrived in London on January 10 for a two-day visit to Britain in an attempt to improve the relations between the two countries.

This is the first high-level official visit to Britain by an Iranian minister since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

During his stay here, Kharrazi is expected to meet Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.

The visit follows the main breakthrough in the bilateral ties between Iran and Britain 18 months ago when the two agreed to compromise over the affair of British writer Salman Rushdie.

After late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a death warrant for the British author of The Satanic Verses in 1989, the relations between Britain and Iran has turned sour and come to a standstill.

In Late 1998, the Iranian government stated that it has no intention to do anything to carry the warning out. And the two countries has recently upgraded their relations to full ambassadorial level.

However, British officials said British-Iranian relations will always be sensitive for historical and other reasons.

During Kharrazi's visit, Britain will raise concerns about Iran's "implacable hostility toward Israel, its human rights record and the fears of its possible plans to develop weapons of mass destruction".

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook "will make it clear the visit does not mean that Britain endorses everything going on in the country," Blair's spokesman told reporters before Kharrazi's arrival.