The agreements were signed at the presence of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami who is on the first visit by an Iranian president to Sanna since the 979 Islamic Revolution.

The security agreement was inked by Iran's Interior Minister Abdolvahed Moussavi Lari and his Yemeni opposite number Rashad al-Alimi, in which the two sides have stressed the need for fighting narcotic drugs and organized crimes.

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Yemeni counterpart Abubakr A. al-Qirbi signed the memorandum of understanding for development assistance to pave the way for strengthening the two countries' progress.

Minister of Agriculture Jihad, Mahmoud Hajjati, signed the MoU for economic and financial cooperation on Iran's side. Yemen's Finance Minister Alawi S. al-Salami put his seal on the accord which also includes banking cooperation.

The trade agreement was signed also by Hojjati and Yemeni Minister of Trade and Industry, Abdulrahman M. Othman, in which the two sides have underlined the need for paving the ground for exchange of goods and holding trade fairs.

Hojjati further signed the agreement for cultural cooperation, which includes exchange of university students and professors and holding cultural functions. Minister of Public Works and Urban Development, Abdullah H. al-Dafi', signed the accord on the Yemeni side.

According to the cooperation agreement on trade and shipping, which was signed by Hajjati and Yemeni Minister of Transport and Maritime Affairs, Saeed Yafaee, the two countries would use their facilities to bolster sea transportation.

The two sides also sealed a protocol to pave the ground for exchange of goods.

The Iranian president is on a tour of four Arab countries, which has already taken him to Lebanon, Syria and Lebanon. He will further travel on to Bahrain.

He arrived in Sanna on Thursday for a one-day visit to discuss "various issues such as restoration of peace and tranquility in the region as well as the current threats in the region" with Yemeni leaders.

Ties between Tehran and Amman have see-sawed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran but the two countries have tried in recent years to put them back on the track.

Khatami calls for Islamic solidarity to guarantee security

President Mohammad Khatami started formal talks with his Yemeni counterpart Ali Abdollah Saleh in Sanaa late Thursday by stressing the need for solidarity among Islamic states to guarantee peace in the region, IRNA reported.

"The regional countries must secure comprehensive development and security based on mutual respect by complementing each other's possibilities," Khatami said.

He hoped that the withdrawal of foreign forces from the Persian Gulf region would enable the Iraqi nation to determine their own fate through participation of all ethnic and religious groups.

Khatami's visit is the first by an Iranian president after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He is on a post-Iraq war regional tour which has already taken him to Lebanon as well as a whistle-stop trip to Syria. Khatami will later travel to Bahrain.

He underlined the long-standing relations between Iran and Yemen, saying the two countries "must use all their existing capacities to promote economic ties".

"The Iranian and Yemeni people, as two nations with a long-standing record, have decided to use their possibilities for achieving a rapid development through relying on their past and looking into the future," Khatami said.

He hailed Yemen's "positive" political developments and stressed the need for removing obstacles on the way of implementing agreements between the two countries.

Saleh said he was pleased with the visit of the Iranian delegation and that Sanaa was interested in bolstering relations with Tehran in all fields.

The two countries hold close views on bilateral, regional and global issues, he said, adding "Yemen extends its hand of cooperation with Iran in all areas".

The Yemeni president also urged rapid implementation of the accords signed between his country and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Khatami upon arrival in Sanaa Thursday said he would discuss various issues such as restoration of peace and tranquility in the region as well as the current threats in the region with Yemeni leaders.

He is also scheduled to meet with the Yemeni Vice President Abd ar-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, Prime Minister Abd al-Qadir Bajammal, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdullah bin Hussain al-Ahmar.

President Khatami is being accompanied by several officials, including Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Interior Minister Abdolvahed Moussavi Lari and Minister of Agriculture Jihad Mahmoud Hojjati.

... Payvand News - 5/16/03 ... --