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WORLD NEWSThursday 28 January 2016

Europe opens its arms _ mostly _ to Iranian leader Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani leaves after a meeting in Paris, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016. Iran signed billions of euros of passenger jets as Teh-
Rouhani says his first visit to Europe since the nuclear accord was signed has proven that there are in deals during Rouhani’s ran looks to push tourism.
“great possibilities” for economic, academic, scientific and cultural cooperation and that “today first stop in Italy — which Iran’s aviation industry has
we are in a win-win situation” after years of mutual losses due to sanctions. also prompted controversy suffered due to sanctions
when officials covered up over the past three de-
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena) naked statues in a Rome cades. Out of Iran’s 250
museum in an apparent commercial planes, only
ELAINE GANLEY can set in motion lucrative soon be flush with funds, effort to avoid offending about 150 are flying.
NICOLE WINFIELD business deals and regional allowing Tehran to spend the Iranian leader. Italy’s Oil giant Total, engineering
Associated Press peacemaking. and, some Europeans culture minister called the group Alstom and carmak-
PARIS (AP) — After years of But there’s also a note of hope, end its isolation from move “incomprehensible.” ers PSA Peugeot-Citroen
tensions over Iran’s nuclear caution, notably about the West. At a press conference and Renault-Nissan, with a
ambitions, Europe is usher- Iran’s human rights record The visits to Italy and France Wednesday in Rome, Rou- past presence in Iran, are
ing in a new era of rela- and geopolitical goals. are also part of efforts by hani invited American among companies that
tions with the once-pariah The end of economic sanc- Iran to reach out to its old businessmen to join their could clinch deals, too.
state, welcoming Iranian tions after six nations struck partners to balance its dip- European counterparts in In Italy, the government
President Hassan Rouhani a deal to curb Iran’s nu- lomatic reach with eastern investing in Iran and taking and private companies
to Italy and France with clear activities means the partners like China and advantage of the new era inked more than a dozen
high expectations that he country of 80 million will Russia. of “win-win” collaboration accords with Iran cover-
after years of mutual losses. ing the metals industry, oil
“It’s possible, but the key is services, rail transport and
in Washington, not in Teh- shipbuilding. Decades of
ran,” he said. “At the same sanctions have starved the
time today, if American in- Iranian economy and iso-
vestors and the heads of lated Iran. The last Iranian
the American economy head of state to visit France
want to come to Iran and was moderate President
invest in my country, there Hassan Khatami in 1999 —
are no problems from our and he was the first since
point of view.” the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Rouhani, a relative moder- France showed its eager-
ate elected in 2013, flew ness to take up where it left
to France later Wednes- off in Iran as soon as the July
day and was meeting with nuclear deal was signed.
Economy Minister Emman- Foreign Minister Laurent Fa-
uel Macron and a group of bius visited Tehran, as did
French business leaders. an important delegation
He’s expected to oversee of France’s main business
the signing Thursday of a group, known as Medef.
bevy of contracts, includ- Yet there are sticking
ing a possible deal with points like Iran’s poor hu-
Airbus to renew Iran’s fleet man rights record, which is
marked by hundreds of ex-
AP Exclusive: ecutions. Iran is also an ac-
tive supporter of the gov-
Putin aide: Syrian vote must include refugees ernment of Syrian President
Bashar Assad, who France
V. ISACHENKOV However, demands for the AP in a written reply to broker Syrian peace talks firmly opposes.
Associated Press the immediate departure questions Tuesday — his set to start in Geneva on France wants Iran to play a
MOSCOW (AP) — Syrian of Syrian President Bashar first remarks ever to a for- Friday, which are intended “positive role” in the Syrian
refugees should be given Assad would be counter- eign news organization. to pave the way for a new war and become a part-
an opportunity to cast their productive, said Nikolai “Have they succeeded constitution and new elec- ner in peace to resolve the
ballots in the country’s fu- Patrushev, a longtime as- in stabilizing the situation tions in a year and a half. conflict, Foreign Minister
ture elections, Russia’s se- sociate of President Vladi- there following a foreign The nearly five-year Syrian Laurent Fabius said.
curity chief has told The As- mir Putin who serves as intervention and physical conflict began in 2011 with Rouhani was originally
sociated Press, adding that the executive secretary of removal of those coun- protests against Assad’s scheduled to visit Paris in
the international communi- the presidential Security tries’ leaders?” Russia has rule and has morphed into November but the trip was
ty should focus on creating Council. “Let’s remember recently joined forces with an all-out civil war, involv- called off after Nov. 13 Is-
conditions for a free vote in the sad experience of Iraq the United States and a ing a myriad of opposition lamic extremist attacks
Syria. and Libya,” Patrushev told dozen other nations to help units. q that killed 130 people. q