FM Alwi Shihab arrives in Iran

FM Alwi Shihab arrives in Iran

TEHRAN (AFP): Indonesia's foreign minister arrived here on Friday for talks aimed at securing Iran's participation in an upcoming meeting in Jakarta on investment in Indonesia, state radio reported.

Alwi Shihab, who just finished a visit to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, also brought a message from Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid for his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami, the report said.

The planned Jakarta meeting is expected to gather ministers from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as regional officials.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Shihab is due to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi on Saturday, the official IRNA news agency said.

Earlier on Wednesday during a stop in Doha, Shihab told Qatar's news agency QNA that the meeting would take place at the beginning of May or before the June 27 foreign ministers' meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Shihab said the meeting would group foreign ministers from the six-nation GCC, Iran, Yemen, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, and would "examine investments in Indonesia and the possibility of establishing a GCC fund".