MTN 'in Iran mobile network deal'

South Africa's MTN phone company says it is to take a 49% stake in the new Iran cell mobile network in Iran.
MTN has also given a 300m euro ($358.4m ; £203m) payment guarantee towards a GSM license, it said.
The firm said the opportunity to run Iran's second mobile license matched its hopes of becoming the leading service provider for emerging markets.
In 2004 Turkish firm Turk cell won a deal to be Iran cell's partner, and is now taking Tehran authorities to court.
Iran's telecommunications ministry said on Thursday that no final announcement on MTN could be made until a court rules on a Turk cell's complaint.
One network
MTN, Africa's biggest mobile phone network operator by customers, said the Middle East is a natural development onwards from its existing strong presence in Africa.
"It (the Iran cell deal) has been on and off but the market believes it may add value in the future," said one analyst in Johannesburg.
Iran currently has only one heavily congested mobile network, with long waiting lists for new subscribers.
The contract to act as foreign operator in the Iran cell consortium was originally won by Turkey's Turk cell a year ago, beating MTN in the process.
Iran's telecommunications ministry and the domestic Iran cell partners then got into a dispute with Turk cell over payment of a license fee and re-started talks with MTN.
Court case
Earlier this year the Turk cell deal was put in further doubt after criticism from Tehran of alleged business links between Turkey and Israel.
An Iranian parliamentary commission ruled that Turk cell's proposed 70% controlling stake was too high, and that Turk cell was a security risk because of alleged business ties with Israel.
Turk cell began court action on 16 October to try and win back its original Iran cell stake.

Three new oil layers identified south of Iran

Three new oil layers, with 767 million barrels oil production capacity, have been explored in the lower layers of Mansouri oil field, said Caretaker of Oil Ministry Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh here on Tuesday.
Hamaneh further told reporters that considering 20 percent of the reserves as recoverable, 153 million barrels of oil and 860 million cubic meters of gas can be extracted.
He said that by calculating each barrel of oil at dlrs 30 and each cubic meter of gas at 2.5 cents, the new reserves are estimated to earn the country dlrs 4.6 billion.
He added that 16,000 barrels of crude oil and 800,000 cubic meters of natural gas can be extracted from the new deposit.

Iran among 10 most attractive countries for tourists

A tourism official said here Wednesday that Iran in terms of natural touristic attractions and cultural sites ranks among the 10 most attractive countries.
Speaking at a gathering of tourism officials in Kerman, Deputy Head of Iran Cultural Heritage Foundation for parliamentary, legal and international affairs Taha Hashemi said that Iran which occupies about one-percent of world territory should garner two percent of its tourism revenues.
"To reach the target the Iran Cultural Heritage Foundation has devised policies within the five-year development plans," he added.
He also said the target is to attract 20 million tourists by the end of the 20-year plan.
Hashemi further said that the investments by domestic private sector and international investors in tourism sector is to drastically increased during the course of the development plans.
Other provisions include new centers for providing information to tourists and increasing facilities for them, he added.
He said that although Iran is among Asian countries offering eclectic touristic potentials, it has a long way to go in terms of services and facilities for tourists.
Iran is not only a nation with rich historical and cultural sites, but, it has unique environment and nature, in which, four seasons of the year could be observed, he added.
Highlighting the need for investment in the sector, he said there are about dlrs one billion projects at hands in the country which has been allocated to expansion of tourism industry.
Deputy Secretary General of World Tourism Organization (WTO) for Asia and Pacific region praised here in October Iran's constructive measures in promoting tourism in the country.
Speaking to IRNA at the WTO headquarters in Madrid, Che Jing said that providing visa-related facilities for tourists, Ceding of hotels to the private sector and implementing new accommodation rates are among the positive steps taken by the government with the aim of expanding tourism in Iran.
He added that although in the past tourism in Asia was limited to smaller nations such as Maldives and Nepal, in the past few years larger nations including Iran and India have been able to attract a higher share of tourists visiting the continent.
Che further said that the WTO has good relations with Iran and the new government in Tehran has shown strong interest in promoting tourism to the country.

Iran Air carried 855,000 passengers in August

Iran's national flag carrier Iran Air (Homa) carried about 855,000 passengers in August 2005, according to Iran Air's Public Relations Department.
Based on a report, a growth of 6.3 percent was observed in number of passengers transported by Iran Air in August compared to July.
Also increases of 4.5 and 16.1 percent were recorded in number of Iran Air's flights in August 2005 compared to July this year and August of 2004 respectively.
Iran Air conducted 10,525 hours of flight in August, a figure showing growth of 4.6 percent compared to July and 9.2 percent compared to last year's August.

Oil prices rise on new storm fear

Oil prices rose by nearly 3% a barrel, as dealers grew nervous about the possibility of another storm hitting output in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical Storm Wilma, caused by a depression in the Caribbean, could move into the Gulf by Friday, said the US National Hurricane Center.
It comes in the wake of hurricanes Rita and Katrina, which shut US oil facilities. Six remain closed.
US crude was up $1.73 at $64.36 and Brent crude up $1.09 at $60.57.
However, prices are still off the August highs of above $70 a barrel.
Iran concern
A heightening of tension in Iran - the fourth-biggest global producer - also buoyed prices after bombings in the oil city of Ahvaz.
The latest storm is predicted to move toward the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico on Thursday, then reach the Gulf at the end of the week.
"In the present situation, this storm is bound to keep the market on edge," said Kevin Norrish, an analyst at Barclays Capital.
He said prices of gasoline and heating oil would be particularly sensitive if the storm hit.
In the meantime, US gasoline prices fell again last week, with the cost of regular unleaded down 12.3 cents to $2.73 a gallon, according to the US Energy Information Administration's weekly report.
The national pump price has fallen 20 cents in the last two weeks, but is still up 69 cents from a year ago, it said.
Meanwhile, Opec, whose member nations are already producing at the maximum of their capacity, revised down its 2005 forecast for growth in world oil demand by 200,000 barrels per day to 1.2 million bpd.

Vehicle Exports From Astara Customs Stand at US$48.5m

Astara Customs Administration Public Relations Department said here Wednesday that the exports of automobile via the border checkpoint stood at $48.5 million since March.
The exports included 92 vehicles. including 51 buses and 41 Samand automobiles from Astara.
It added according to IRNA that the exports were higher by 90 and 95 percent in terms of number and value compared to the same period last year.
Astara Customs exports about 400,000 ton of goods annu¬ally primarily to the Caucasus.
The border Customs Office of Astara has been among the three most active customs offices across the country over
the past 10 years in terms of exports imports and tran¬sits of goods.
He added the vol¬ume of exports and transit of commodi¬ties from Astara over the past three years showed a 25 and 20 percent boost respectively.
The official noted his office exchanged 1.2 million tons of goods. valued at 1.5 billion dollars, with the Caucasus coun¬tries last year, an unprecedented figure during the last 10 years.
Astara Customs Office enjoys a special position due to its location at the international North-South corridor.
Astara city is located in northern part of Gilan province along Iran-Azerbaijan border.
In August. Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) signed a financing agreement for export of over 800 Sam and auto¬mobiles manufactured by Iran giant automobile manufac¬turing lran-Khodro Industrial Group.
The Exports Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) has also extended coverage for the financing. Over 85 percent of the credit of the contract is provided by the EDB!.
The contract stipulates for offering $5 million of facilities to the foreign side enabling the company to purchase 800 cars in the first phase of the project.

Iran-Khodro exports top US$ 115 million since March

Deputy Director of Iran's giant car manufacturing company Iran-Khodro Industrial Group for Export and International Affairs said here Saturday that the exports stood at US$ 115 million in the first eight months of the current Iranian year (started March21).
Alireza Mirzaie said that the figure includes vehicles, parts and technical and engineering services exports.
He said that the figure has been unprecedented in the history of exports by the company.
"The exports will top US$ 200 million by the end of the year," he reckoned
He also said that Iran-Khodro offers a better verity of products compared to its domestic competitors.
The company has major plans to catapult its share of international export markets by 2010.
Mirzaie added that the company exported over US$ 10 million of parts last year saying the figure is expected to double in the current year.
"The management has envisioned plans for making product more competitive in the tough and changing international markets." He said the company also has attractive technical advantages for exports to regional markets which should be exploited.
Mirzaie also pointed to changing domestic laws and regulations, bureaucratic red-tape, and non-membership in regional trading blocks as the main factors hindering exports of cars.
Furthermore, he said, various customs tariffs and fees levied on domestic automobile companies have denied the ability to better compete in world markets.
He said the goal is to export 10 percent of production within four years.
The company has been entering into joint ventures with reputable international automobile manufacturing companies.
Managing Director of Iran-Khodro Industrial Group said here last month that the share of company in the region automobile markets is on the rise.
According to Iran-Khodro Public Relations Department, Manouchehr Manteqi referred to the successful signing of agreements for exports and launching of 'Samand' assembly lines in several regional countries.
Manteqi said that the preliminary efforts have been prepared for the company's production to enter the vast Russian car market.
Several Samand assembly lines will also be inaugurated in Syria in the next few months, he added.
Other nations with which Iran-Khodro has entered into talks or has inked contracts for setting up assembly lines are Venezuela, Egypt, Senegal and Azerbaijan republic, Manteqi underlined.
It is estimated that 1.1 million cars will be manufactured in Iran by the end of the current Iranian year (stared March 20, 2005) and 1.5 million by 2008.

Iran, China discuss oil, gas cooperation

New round of Iran-China on cooperation over 'Yadavaran' oil field and export of natural gas (LNG) was held here Saturday.
Managing Director of China Petroleum and Chemical Company 'Sinopec' Chen Tonghai and Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian represented their countries in the talks.
The talks revolved around for the Chinese side to buy 250 million tons of LNG in a 30-year period and to assume 51 percent of expansion operation of Yadavaran oilfield through buy back agreement, Nejad-Hosseinian said.
Nejad-Hosseinian told reporters following the meeting that the talks focused on resolving outstanding differences on LNG exports and Yadavaran oil field.
"Some of the snags were removed and the remaining issues were slated to be discussed by the expert committees in the future." Another meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday to make decisions at high levels, he added.
He also reckoned that with the ensuing changes an agreement will be inked by January 2006.
He said a problem has to do with buy-back schemes. Iran favors changes in their content while international companies also object to the agreements, the oil official stated.
Another issue is the period of under consideration in the agreement. It was decided to prolong the period and induce changes to motivate the contractor to increase production and maintain the field, Nejad-Hosseinian added.
Another issue is the guarantee by the contractor for maximum production which is only feasible in the long-term contracts.
On LNG exports to China he said "we have put-forth several suggestions which the Chinese side said it will consult their government and reply to us."
China National Petroleum and Chemical company has also started work on the first phase of a project for recovery and extraction of oil from 10 wells in southern Masjed Soleyman oil field based on a buy-back contract signed with Iran.
The Chinese party holds 75 percent or US$ 85 million worth of stakes in the project, while Iran's Naftgaran Company holds 25 percent of shares worth US$ 15 million in the project. The project was initially granted to Canada's Sheer Energy by National Iranian Oil Company.
The project aims to increase the output of the oil wells to 28,000 bpd from their present 5,000 bpd in the first phase. It also seeks production of an additional 10,000 bpd through recovery of another 22 wells and establishment of an oil refinery in Zilaie district in Masjid Soleyman.
The project was initially to be completed and put into operation in June 2006 but it was postponed due to the refusal of the Canadian partner to go ahead with the project.

Commerce minister stresses WTO membership

Iran Minister of Commerce Massoud Mir-Kazemi voiced Iran resolve here Saturday to become a full-fledged member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Speaking at the sixth WTO ministerial session held in Hong Kong, he added that Iran which currently has observe status at the WTO, has delineated comprehensive programs for joining the world trade body.
The plan includes a thorough program to institute economic reforms and provisions for instilling vibrancy and competition among the public and private companies, he added.
He said the program is all-encompassing. Unification of hard currency, privatization of state-owned and affiliated companies, boosting foreign investments, removing non-tariff barriers and lowering bureaucratic red-tape are among the steps called for by the plan.
He also called for more flexibility on the part of WTO for developing nations who want to join the world trade body.
Mir-Kazemi expressed hope that non-economic factors do not thwart the opportunity of nations to joint WTO.
He also raised objections to the current biased regulations in the trade in agricultural products for the developing nations.
He said liberalization of economy and trade in balance boosts social welfare and employment.
Mir-Kazemi however warned that political pressure, skewed trade subsidies and arbitrary implementation of anti-dumping measures have adverse ramification for the developing nations.
He said easier access by the developing nations to the developed countries markets will expand world trade and be beneficial for the developed nations.
Mir-Kazemi added, "Iran's dynamic presence at Sixth Ministerial Conference of WTO and establishment of ties with other participating ministers would help Iran to improve its image while evaluating that organization better before joining it."
Iran's Commerce Minister added, "We need to pay attention to the fact that an ever increasing number of countries are joining the WTO today, and Saudi Arabia, for instance, after a twelve-year presence at WTO as an observer member is now attending its sessions as an official member."
Mir-Kazemi reiterated, "If Iran wishes to count on boosting its exports as a means for solving the unemployment problem, taking optimum advantage of investments and facilitating the unused potentials, including the educated man power and rich resources seriously, we need to join the WTO."
The Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference session kicked off in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening in the presence of delegations from 149 countries.
Iran's proposal for WTO participation was finally approved in June 2005, after being rejected eighteen times due to US objection, but only as an "observer".
Iran has actively participated at the conference by dispatching a delegation comprised of experts and managers from the country's ministries of commerce and agriculture, as well as the Management and Planning Organization, and a number of parliament members, led by the country's commerce minister.

Iran calls for lifting of ban on export of certain goods to Turkey

Iranian Commerce Minister Massoud Mir-Kazemi here Saturday called for removal of the ban on the export of certain Iranian goods to Turkey.
Mir-Kazemi made the remark at a meeting with Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen on the sidelines of the ongoing 6th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) here.
Turkey should remove its ban on Iranian exports of certain commodities including propylene, glasses and mirrors, he said.
He stressed the importance of boosting the two countries' volume of trade and called for augmenting border facilities toward this end.
The Iranian minister also called on Turkey to decrease its import tariffs on Iranian agricultural products.
He welcomed Turkey's private sector investment in Iran's hotel construction and tourism industries, saying "Iran and Turkey have the capacity to pursue joint projects in Central Asia and prevent negative competition in this region."
Tuzmen, for his part, said Tehran and Ankara have two of the strongest economies in the region and can play significant roles in European and Asian affairs.
He, moreover, said that he anticipated an increase in Turkey's investment in Iran and said Turkey's policy favors such increase.
He called for a reduction in Iranian tariffs on industrial goods and hoped the two sides would continue to hold consultations to bolster regional cooperation within the framework of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) as well as within the context of bilateral relations during his visit to Iran next month.
Iran-Turkey trade exchanges reached over two billion dollars in 2004, the trade balance in favor of Iran.
Iran exported US$ 1.15 billion worth of goods and oil to Turkey while it imported US$ 750 million worth of commodities from the country.

Chambers News

IBCCIM News

North Hampton shire trade & Investment Mission at the Chamber

According to the previous arrangement, The North Hampton shire trade & investment Mission attended at the Irano-British joint Chamber to meet and discuss with their Iranian counterparts, Monday morning on 23rd of Aban (14th of November )

Mr. Nick Coppin The first secretary and Head of economic department of British Embassy at Tehran also attended in this roundtable meeting, which was held by two chamber board members Mrs. Naghavi and Mrs. Lili Marzabadi.

At the end of the roundtable meeting, Mr. Bob Fisher the mission leader offered his profound appreciations for celebrating this roundtable meeting, and wished to prepare means to bring with him a larger mission to Iran and also asked The Chamber for dispatching the similar mission to North Hampton shire.

Also in response to Mr.Nick Coppin invitation, many Iranian businessmen and industrialists met with the North Hampton shire mission members, at the British Embassy and discussed ways of future cooperation between them.

Executive Board Meeting

According to the previous invitation, the Executive Board was held at the ICCIM Building on the basis of monthly fall season sessions.

After interchanging economic news concerning the two countries at the meeting, various matters such as, holding IT seminar in London, which is decided to be held on the proposal of BICC (British Iranian chamber of commerce and Iran Embassy, and support of DTI and also issues in regard with the trade relationship between the two countries and their trade missions were argued.

Holding Specialized Commissions

The investment facilities and cooperation Commission of Irano-British Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines was held, due to regular basis, within the record period. The said commission was presided by vice President Dr. Naser Homapour and attended by Dr. Amini The Chamber General Secretary and board members Mrs. Naghavi and Mrs. Tayarani Messer Dr.Behrooz Akhlaghi, Hossein Iranmanesh, Manoochehr Bayat, Iraj Danesh and Gaglik Sarkisians.
Several issues such as existing obstacles confronting the trade development between two countries, exigency for dispatching trade and investment mission to London, Wales, Manchester, Scotland and Island were discussed and verified at the session.

BICC News

The visit of Trade mission of British- Iranian Chamber to Tehran

Based on the British-Iranian Chamber's announcement, the trade- and investment mission of British –Iranian Chamber of Commerce, presided by Lord Lamont , is due to arrive at Tehran in the month of Esfand.
The said mission is also accompanied with Lord Philip,Mr.Daneshvar BICC vice chairman and 8 dominant English company's representatives.

Postponing London IT Conference

The one-day IT Conference cooperated by British-Iranian Chamber of commerce and Iran Embassy at London with DTI support which was due to be held in 28th November at Crown Plaza Hotel at London ,was postponed.
However, the holding conference date is not yet announced, but according to BICC announcement, the definite date will be notified shortly in the future.