Leader Meets With Askar Akayev

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei here on Sunday met with Askar Akayev, President of Kyrgyzstan and his entourage.

During the meeting Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the necessity of further development and stabilization of Iran-Kyrgyzstan bilateral ties, adding that the Islamic countries, the regional countries in particular, should cooperate closely for the progress and advancement of the Muslim Ummah in regard to their facilities and natural and human resources.

The Leader referred to the current regional problems such as the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and the occupied Palestine as yet another reason for the Islamic countries' close cooperation.

He went on to say that the U.S. has transferred its military forces to the Middle East under the pretext of fighting terrorism.

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the U.S. actions in this regard are illogical, unwise, and against the interests of Afghanistan and Iraq and in fact an attempt to conquer the world.

The Leader reiterated that world conquering is doomed to failure, adding that the U.S. should be ousted from the region and that the Middle Eastern affairs should be handed over to the nations and the regional intellects in order to resolve current problems.

Ayatollah Khamenei added that the problems in Palestine are the result of ignoring the country's nation and their interests.

He said that disregarding the rights of the Palestinian nation will get nowhere as was the case with the former Soviet Union that disregarded the rights of the Middle Asian nations for tens of years.

The Leader pointed out that today Palestinians, men and women, old and young, have all entered the scene and stood against the bullets.

During the meeting which was also attended by President Mohammad Khatami, Akayev stressed the necessity of multilateral expansion of Iran-Kyrgyzstan ties.

He said that a number of agreements are due to be signed during the trip in a bid to improve the bilateral relations between the two countries.

"This issue shows the good mutual understanding and high trust that exists between the two sides," Akayev said.

The President of Kyrgyzstan referred to the active Muslims in his country as well as the youth's increasing tendency toward religious and Islamic issues.

He stressed the necessity of close cooperation among Islamic countries for the progress and resistance of the Muslim Ummah and the region toward the current problems.

Akayev, addressing Ayatollah Khamenei said, "I too hold the same opinion about the situation in the Middle East especially the current circumstances in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine".