Hamad, Khatami to discuss security

His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa arrived in Iran yesterday on a first visit by a Bahraini leader to the Islamic republic in more than two decades, state media reported.

Iranian President Mohammed Khatami met the King at Saadabad palace in the capital Tehran.
At the welcoming ceremony Sheikh Hamad stressed to reporters that, "The Gulf region is in need of security and stability."

"It is time to strengthen our ties, our solidarity and increase our consultations," Sheikh Hamad added.

Khatami, standing beside him, agreed, saying, "Security is a priority for our important region and this is why we must bolster our ties to assure its development and progress."

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi earlier confirmed the talks would touch on the tense situations over Iraq and the bloody 23-month Arab-Israeli conflict which shows no signs of abating.

Bahrain state media said talks would focus on "developing the friendly relations between the Muslim neighbours and international and world developments".

The King will hold talks with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei today.

The King, who is accompanied by the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Commerce, will discuss with his hosts trade issues and regional politics, according to Bahraini officials.

Finance Minister Abdullah Saif, who is accompanying the king along with the foreign and commerce ministers, said the two-day visit to Iran would help speed up negotiations on reactivating commercial sea links, avoiding dual taxation and encouraging investments between the two countries.

In March, Bahrain said it planned to reopen the sea link with Iran after a six-year closure to promote Bahrain's status as the financial and banking hub of the Gulf region.

Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa told reporters on Thursday that a series of agreements would be signed during the landmark visit, including an agreement on economic, trade and technical cooperation, an agreement on confirmation and protection of investments, an agreement to avoid double taxation on income, an agreement on maritime commercial transport, and an agreement on cultural, scientific and technical cooperation.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation will also be on the agenda.

The minister noted that the visit's agenda did not include security agreements but did not rule out such an agreement in the future. "Security issues are among our priorities but they will not be addressed during this visit," he said.

Bahrain's Ambassador to Iran, Kamel Al Saleh, described the two-day visit as "an historic step in the progress of relations between the two nations."

"It will herald a new era of robust cooperation in various areas at all levels," he was quoted yesterday by the Bahraini official media.

"The visit is also the result of the endeavours by both countries to launch new and strong relations based upon mutual trust and respect and aiming to bolster cooperation in order to serve the higher interests of the people and consolidate co-existence, security and stability for all the countries in the region," he said.

Al Saleh said the talks will also "focus on the threats to the region and on the challenges and dangers confronting the regional interests, including international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction.

"A common action with Iran to preserve security and peace in the region will also figure on the agenda."

The ambassador said President Khatami will visit Bahrain "in the next few months."

Sheikh Hamad's visit comes 23 years after a landmark visit made by his father, the late Emir, Sheikh Isa bin Salman in 1979.

However, the former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani, now the head of the powerful Expediency Council visited Bahrain in 1998. He was the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit the island ever.

The relations between the Bahrain, the base of the U.S. Naval Central Command of the Fifth Fleet, and the Islamic republic, labelled by the U.S. administration as a member of the 'axis of evil', had always been tense due to decades-long Bahraini suspicions that Iran was interfering in its domestic affairs.

The two countries normalised relations only after 1997, with the rise to power of the Iranian President Khatami, and exchanged ambassadors in January 1999.

"There is a strong need to put an end to the negative events that marked the last two decades and which led to tension and instability.

"Iran is an important country in the region, and Bahrain is genuinely keen on having normal and fruitful ties with its neighbour, based upon mutual interests and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," said the Foreign Minister.

Relations between Manama and Tehran have improved since reformist Khatami came to power in Iran in 1997.