TEHRAN The Cuban leader Fidel Castro has praised Iran's important role at international level and has invited President Mohammad Khatami to visit Havana with the objective of boosting bilateral ties. Castro, in a meeting with Iran's Vice-President Mostafa Hashemi Taba on Friday, congratulated Iran on holding the Summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) successfully and called for promotion of Tehran-Havana ties in various fields.

Reviewing the political and economic situation in various parts of the world, Latin America and Middle East in particular, he stressed the necessity of cooperation and convergence among Third World countries. Castro welcomed signing of an agreement on Tehran-Havana sports cooperation and considered it as a step towards boosting bilateral sports relations. Stressing the necessity of defending cultural values in the Third World countries, Hashemi Taba proposed dialogue among various societies and their leaders on preservation of cultural values.

(IRNA)