IRAN’S PRESIDENT COMES TO ARMENIA SEPTEMBER 8

ArmenPress
Sept 6 2004

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: As reported earlier, the president of
the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Khatami is arriving in Armenia
on September 8 on a two-day official visit at the invitation of his
Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian.

Kocharian’s press office said the Iranian delegation will include
foreign, finance and economy, trade ministers, other government
officials and journalists.

After welcoming Khatami at the presidential palace on September 8
he and Kocharian will have a face-to-face conversation, which will
be followed by enlarged talks with their participation. Bilateral
documents are expected to be signed and the two presidents will meet
with journalists.

The Iranian president will address members of the Armenian National
Assembly and will meet with the prime minister of Armenia. He then will
be hosted by students and professors of Yerevan State University and
will travel to Etchmiadzin to be received by Catholicos Karekin II,
the head of Armenian Church.

The itinerary of the Iranian delegation includes also laying a
wreath to the Genocide Monument Genocide in Yerevan, a visit to Blue
Mosque. He will also meet with Iranian citizens working in Armenia.
Khatami will depart home on September 9.

Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, the fifth president of
the Islamic Republic of Iran, was born in Ardakan, in the central
province of Yazd in 1943. Son of respected Ayatollah Ruhollah Khatami,
President Khatami finished his early school years in his homeland. Then
he attended Qom Theology School in 1961. Later, he got his BA in
philosophy from Isfahan University, accomplishing religious studies
in senior level at Qom Seminary. In 1970 he entered the University
of Tehran and graduated with an MA, he returned to Qom later to his
philosophical studies at Qom Seminary.

President Khatami was involved in political activities and anti-Shah
campaign. He began his political activities at the Association of
Muslim Students of Isfahan University, worked closely with Ayatollah
Khomeini’s late son, Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khomeini and Martyr Mohammad
Montazeri and organized religious and political debates.

After the revolution in 1979 he replaced Ayatollah Dr. Beheshti as
Head of Hamburg Islamic Center in Germany. He represented Ardakan
and Meibod constituencies in the first term of Majlis in 1980. He
was also appointed as the head of Kayhan newspaper institute by late
Ayatollah Khomeini in 1981. In 1982, he was appointed as the minister
of culture and Islamic guidance. During the 1980-1988 war with Iraq,
he served different responsibilities including deputy and head of the
Joint Command of the Armed Forces and chairman of the War Propaganda
Headquarters.

He was once again appointed as the minister of culture and Islamic
guidance by President Hashemi Rafsanjani in 1989. Khatami was appointed
as cultural advisor to President Rafsanjani. In 1996 he was appointed
as a member of High Council for Cultural Revolution by the Leader of
Iran. As President he is the head of the council. President Khatami
speaks English, German and Arabic in addition to Persian.

He got married in 1974 and has two daughters and a son. President
Khatami was elected as the fifth president of the Islamic Republic
of Iran in May 1997 elections by gaining 20,078,178 votes, almost 70
percent of the votes cast.