Iran wants Gulf image makeover

The Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami, has called for a change in the perception of the Gulf region as purely a source of energy.

He told an international conference the Persian Gulf International Conference in Teheran that the global view of the Gulf as a resource region had led during the past century to the arrival and expansion of alien forces, resulting in wars and other destructive crises.

President Khatami said it was an image which the region did not deserve.

He said he hoped the conference would help resolve the problems facing the Gulf region, and bring peace and stability.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service