Iran to offer consular services to dissidents abroad

TEHRAN, Aug 3 (AFP) - Iran said Monday it had started to offer consular services to dissidents living abroad, in line with new efforts to persuade Iranian exiles to return home.

"All our diplomatic missions abroad are ready to provide services to Iranians, independent of their political tendencies," said Mohammad-Ali Hadi, deputy foreign minister for consular affairs.

Hadi, quoted by state radio, said the decision was part of efforts by the moderate government of President Mohammad Khatami to help expatriates to return home.

"Even opponents of the regime can benefit from these measures if they visit our consulates abroad," he said.

Some two million Iranians live in exile abroad, most of whom left after the 1979 revolution which brought an Islamic regime to power. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians live in Los Angeles alone, most of them from well-to-do families.

The Iranian government has in recent years urged the diaspora, many of whom are highly educated, to return to Iran to help rebuild the country, which was wrecked after the revolution and during the 1980-1988 war against Iraq.

Khatami said Sunday he hoped to attract capital from the Iranian community abroad to help rebuild the country's ailing economy.

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