Iranian press lash out against France for delaying
Khatami trip
TEHRAN, April 12 (AFP) - Iranian newspapers on Monday lashed out at
France for a row which postponed President Mohammad Khatami's planned visit
there, just as he accepted an invitation to visit to Germany.
"It is really unfortunate that immature measures by the French
forced President Mohammad Khatami to postpone his visit to Paris,"
said the English-language Tehran Times.
"France is a country that shares several commonalities with Iran,
and arrangements for the visit should be made as soon as possible,"
it said while urging Paris to "pay due respect to the Islamic values."
Khatami's trip to France, due to have taken place this week, was put
off in a protocol dispute over the serving of wine at official dinners
and receptions.
"The German invitation takes place at a time when the president's
visit to France is cancelled following the French unwillingness to refrain
from serving alcoholic drinks at formal gatherings attended by Iranian
officials during the visit," the English-language Iran News said.
But the paper, which is close to the foreign ministry and is widely
read by diplomats here, noted that Khatami carried out a high-profile visit
to Italy in March, where Italian officials respected those principles and
served only mineral water and fruit juices.
Khatami accepted an invitation Sunday from Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
to visit Germany following the release on bail of Helmut Hofer, a German
businessman earlier sentenced to death by a Tehran court for allegedly
having sexual relations with a Moslem woman, in violation of Iranian law.
The invitation was extended by German Chancellery Minister Bodo Hombach,
who arrived here Saturday to discuss the case.
Khatami told IRNA after the meeting that the visit would take place
at an "appropriate time."
"I am confident that a new stage has started in relations between
Iran and Germany," Khatami added.
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