May 4, 2005

Khatami inaugurates 18th Int'l Book Fair

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami inaugurated the 18th International Book Fair at the Tehran Permanent Fairground Wednesday.

Following the inaugural ceremony, Khatami visited various book stands including "Iranian Land and Persian Gulf, Foreign Ministry, Mofid University, and Research Institute of Imam Khomeini.

Some 800 book titles on the Persian Gulf, an exhibition of historical and legal documents, and films and theses on the Persian Gulf are put on display in the stand of "Iranian Land and Persian Gulf." The Persian Gulf stand is due to hold several expert meetings on the sidelines of the exhibition.

Over 2,570 domestic and foreign publications from 51 countries are participating in the fair.

Britain, Spain, France, Germany, the United States, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Jordan, Swiss, the Netherlands, China, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Australia, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Oman, India, Bahrain, Singapore, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Japan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Mexico, Egypt, Canada, Russia, Palestine, and 14 African states are among the countries participating at the fair.