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".