Originally at: http://www.payvand.com/news/05/feb/1189.html

Tehran, Feb 26, IRNA-The 15th International Conference on Persian Gulf will be held at the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Foreign Ministry on March 1.
The two-day conference is due to open with messages from President Mohammad Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for educational and research affairs said here Sunday.

Alireza Moayyeri added that 80 researchers and intellectuals from 32 countries are scheduled to attend the conference. Persian Gulf, regional security and cooperation are among the issues to be discussed at the conference, he said.

Moayyeri added the annual conference aims to explore the political, security and energy issues of the Persian Gulf littoral states.

Russia, the United States, China, Taiwan, Finland, Greece, Britain, Mexico, Iraq, Nigeria, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Japan and Egypt are among the countries that have voiced readiness to participate in the conference.

Iraq’s future development, the US policies in Persian Gulf region, the big powers’ policies in Persian Gulf and Middle East, economy and energy in Persian Gulf will be top on the agenda of the conference.

Defense Minister Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the second day of the conference.

The closing ceremony of the conference will be held on March 2 in the presence of Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Moayyeri said that Iran’s three Persian Gulf islands (Greater and Lesser Tunbs as well as Abu Mousa) will not be among the issues to be discussed at the conference, adding that due to Iran’s full sovereignty over the islands, there is no need to bring up the issue.