IRAN’S AHMADINEJAD CUTS VISIT TO ARMENIA SHORT

Forbes, NY
Oct 23 2007

YEREVAN, Armenia (Thomson Financial) – Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad has cut short a two-day visit to Armenia due to the
domestic political situation and key talks on the Iranian nuclear
issue in Rome, a diplomatic source here told Agence France-Presse,
the French news agency.

‘He shortened his visit and is returning to Iran because of the
internal political situation in the country,’ the source said. ‘Also
this is linked with the discussion of the question of Iran which is
happening today in Rome.’

‘Today we are expecting strong criticism addressed to Iran.’

Iran’s new nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, left Tehran for Rome
today to hold his first talks over the atomic crisis with EU foreign
policy chief Javier Solana.

Jalili, a hardliner close to Ahmadinejad, was accompanied by his
predecessor Ali Larijani, the ISNA news agency reported.

The presence of Larijani, who quit on Saturday after falling out with
Ahmadinejad over the handling of Iran’s nuclear policy, has raised
eyebrows among observers.

Larijani is officially attending as the representative of Iran’s
supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the Supreme National Security
Council, a position he retained after his resignation.

The Armenian presidential administration had previously announced that
Ahmadinejad would visit today a memorial to victims of the Ottoman
massacres of Armenians between 1915 and 1917, a regular stop for
visiting dignitaries.

He had also been scheduled to visit Yerevan’s Blue Mosque and to meet
with members of the Iranian community here.

Armenian presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said Ahmadinejad
had returned to Tehran ‘for urgent reasons’ but did not elaborate.

‘During meetings yesterday both presidents agreed that the president
of Iran would go back to Iran earlier than expected for urgent
reasons. The early end of the visit won’t affect Armenian-Iranian
relations,’ Sogomonian said.

Ahmadinejad’s senior advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi denied the visit
had been cut short, saying ‘the Iranian delegation is returning to
Tehran at the planned time.’

‘All of the Iranian president’s programme was realized as planned
during the visit to Armenia,’ he said.