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Arafat to Pay Brief Visit to Iran
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is due to arrive here on Thursday for a brief visit to discuss with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on the Palestinian issue, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday.
The visit was arranged upon Arafat's request to talk with Khatami, who is the current chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted the ministry as saying.
Arafat has visited several European, Arab and Muslim countries since a US-sponsored summit at Camp David with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak failed to reach an agreement due to differences over the thorniest issue of the fate of Jerusalem.
Iran had voiced strong opposition to the 15-day Camp David summit held last month.
Tehran has launched wide-range contacts and consultations with Islamic states and Palestinian groups, calling for common stance among the Muslim countries toward the Palestinian issue.
The Iranian president has sent Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Mohammad Sadr as his envoy to deliver his messages to leaders of Jordan, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia on the Palestinian issue.
Sadr left the Syrian capital of Damascus for the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Wednesday after holding talks with Syrian leaders, in which he called for strengthening solidarity among Muslim countries in their struggle against Israel.
Expressing concerns over the US statement to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Iran underlined the sovereignty of Jerusalem belongs to Palestine and the Palestinians have the right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
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