Tripoli, 30 October:
Iran is seeking to improve its relations with Libya. Iranian First Vice-President, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, said yesterday, Monday, that . . .[restrict]Tehran would like to take part in Libya’s reconstruction.
According to the Iranian news agency IRNA, Rahimi sent a letter to the Libyan Prime Minister-elect, Ali Zidan, congratulating him on his appointment and expressing Iran’s willingness to put all its expertise at Libya’s disposal. He said Iran that Tehran would like to participate in the efforts to rebuild the economic infrastructure of Libya.
Rahimi reportedly stressed in his letter his hopes that Libya would begin a new phase of political life in which it was democratic, united and sovereign and the Libyan people achieve justice, prosperity and progress.
Closer relations between Tripoli and Tehran are, nonetheless, seen as unlikely at present. Iran is one of the main supporters of the Assad regime in Syria whereas Libya is the only country in the world to have recognized the opposition Syrian National Council. Iran’s support for Assad is widely detested throughout Libya.
Earlier this month, seven Iranian Red Crescent officials were released after being kidnapped in Benghazi at the end of July and held by an unknown group.
Just after they were abducted, it was reported that they were being investigated to see if they had come to propagate Shiism, Iran’s official state faith.
In June in an interview with the Libya Herald, the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, accused Iran of trying to convert young Libyans to Shiism.
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