Colombo Ready For Iran President

(April 28, Tehran-Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on an official visit to Sri Lanka will make a four-hour stopover in Pakistan today (Monday). ( Image: Near the Air port in Karunayake - Sri Lanka Guardian Photo)

During four-hour stay, he will meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The Iranian President during his talks with the President and the Prime Minister would discuss bilateral matter, issues faced by the region and the Islamic World and the trilateral cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan with a view to bring peace and stability in the region.

Multi billion-dollar project of Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline would also came under discussion while there was no plan to ink the IPI agreement during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s brief stopover in Islamabad on his way to a state visit to Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary has slammed the West's 'name and shame' policy, ahead of President Ahmadinejad's visit to Colombo on Today.

"In Asia, we don't go around preaching to our neighbors and our friends," Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary, Palitha Kohona said.

“This public naming and shaming process that seems to have become so popular in the West is really not so readily accepted here,” AP quoted him as saying.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to Sri Lanka on today (Monday) at the official invitation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Iran pledged $1.9 billion in soft loans and grants to Sri Lanka in November to help it expand its only oil refinery, develop an irrigation and hydropower project and buy Iranian oil.

"It is the biggest development assistance package for Sri Lanka at the moment,” Kohona added.

The Iranian President will lead a high level delegation comprised its Foreign and Commerce Minister, besides Minister for Petroleum and Energy and head of Export Import Bank of Iran.
- Sri Lanka Guardian