New Delhi
1 September 2005
External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh will leave
for Iran on Friday on a three-day visit to that country. This will be India's
first high-level political contact with the new Iranian government headed
by President Mahmud Ahmedinejad.
Mr Natwar Singh will leave on Friday morning and return on Sunday
evening via Shiraz. He will be accompanied by a five-member delegation
comprising among others Secretary (East) Rajiv Sikri.
The spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, Mr Navtej Sarna, on
Thursday told media persons that Mr Natwar Singh was visiting Tehran at
the invitation of the Iranian Government.
India is expected to explore ways to further consolidate the "strategic"
partnership particularly in energy sector and hold talks on the nuclear
issue.
During his stay there, Mr Singh will hold talks with his counterpart
Manouchehr Mottaki on the entire gamut of bilateral relations, regional
and international issues of mutual concern.
He will call on President Mahmud Ahmedinejad and meet the new chief
nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who held parleys with Singh here
yesterday on to the strategic parnership and nuclear issue.
Besides matters relating to security, nuclear as also the proposed 7.4
billion dollar gas pipeline from Iran to India via Pakistan, issues relating
to cooperation in science and technology and transit and trade facilities
between India and Russian and Central Asia through Afghanistan will also
figure in the deliberations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has set September 3 as the
dealine for Iran to stop its nuclear work, weeks after Tehran defied the
earlier directive by breaking the United Nations seals on its Isfahan plant.
Iran has also threatened to restart work on its Natanz facility soon.
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