Eurasia Press & News
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran has not yet received any formal request from Washington for opening a US interest section in Tehran, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said here on Monday.
Qashqavi told reporters during a weekly press conference that the issue had just been raised by several US dailies.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had announced the White House decision to open interest section in Tehran and said that the United States will forward a request to that effect.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said last week that US President George W. Bush has communicated with Iran to normalize relations.
According to a Tehran Times report, Qashqavi elsewhere pointed to Iran-Kuwait talks, and said the two countries enjoy continuous discussions on various issues of mutual interest.
As to Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki’s current visit to Malaysia, he added that Mottaki has arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the first leg of his four-nation Southeast Asian tour which will take him to South and North Koreas and Myanmar.
On the upcoming visit to Algeria of First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi, he said Tehran-Algiers ties are amicable and profound.
Davoudi’s visit is in line with further expansion of bilateral relations with Algeria, he added.
Iran is watching out possible interference of foreign embassies in the Iranian presidential election Qashqavi said.
“No country expects other countries to interfere in its internal affairs, the elections in particular,” Qashqavi told reporters at his weekly press conference.
He made the remarks commenting on reports about moves made by certain foreign embassies in Tehran ahead of the country’s next presidential elections to be held in 2009.
Rumors mounted over arrangements being made by the embassies for the Iranian political figures abroad.
“We have not seen yet those news to be reported by any news agency or website,” said the spokesman.
He stressed that relations between foreign embassies and Iranian government and non-government organizations are normal.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Qashqavi said Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is in Malaysia on the first leg of his four-nation regional tour to South-East Asia.
He added that Mottaki would later visit South Korea, North Korea and Myanmar.
The foreign minister arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday heading a high-ranking delegation to attend the 7th meeting of Iran-Malaysia Joint Economic Commission on November 10-11.
Mottaki will discuss major economic cooperation between the two capitals in his talks with senior Malaysian officials, Qashqavi said.
