Jia Ling
At the invitation of Ahad Mohammadi, president of the Iran-China Friendship Society (ICFS) and Mohammed Saeid Bekheitan, president of the Syria-China Friendship Association (SCFA), a CPAFFC delegation led by its President Chen Haosu paid a goodwill visit to the two countries from September 1 to 11, 2007. During the visit, the delegation met with the leaders of the two countries and made extensive contacts with leading officials of the local governments and personages of various circles and had in-depth discussions with the ICFS and the SCFA on the exchanges and cooperation between the two sides and discussed with the SCFA about the detailed plan for the Second China-Arab Friendship Conference to be held in Damascus in 2008.
During its visit in Iran and Syria, the delegation was accorded warm and friendly reception. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, former Iranian president and current chairman of the International Centre for Dialogue among Civilizations; Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, Iranian vice president and chairman of the Cultural Heritage Organization; Dr. Manoucher Mohammadi, Iranian vice foreign minister and chairman of the Centre of International Studies; Jafar Mili-Monfared, deputy governor of Isfahan; Mohammed Saeid Bekheitan, assistant secretary of the Regional Leadership of the Syrian Baath Arab Socialist Party (BASP) and president of the SCFA; Khalil Mashhadiah, secretary of Damascus Branch of the Baath Arab Socialist Party; Nawaf Sheikh Fares,governor of Al Quneitra, and secretary of the Tadmur Branch of the BASP, respectively met with or entertained the delegation. Leading officials of the ICFS led by its President Ahad Mohammadi and members of the Executive Committee of the SCFA led by its President Mohammed Saeid Bekheitan respectively had working meetings with the CPAFFC delegation.
During its visit, the delegation had extensive contacts with personages of various circles of the two countries, expressing the Chinese peoples friendship and goodwill for the Iranian and Syrian people. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu elaborated Chinas independent foreign policy, analyzed the current international situation and hotspot issues and stated Chinas consistent principled stand of supporting the just struggle of the Arab and all the developing countries. Chen also briefed about the long unremitting efforts made by the CPAFFC and the China-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA) to strengthen China-Iran and China-Arab people-to-people friendly exchanges and some of the influential activities held by the two organizations in recent years and the concept of building a harmonious world advocated by the Chinese leaders.
When in transit through Dubai, the delegation visited the Dubai Cultural Council of the United Arab Emirates and the Dubai Port World and had talks and exchanged views with the leading members of the two organizations on establishing working relations or consolidating the current cooperative relations between the two sides.