Khatami's Christmas message calls for new chapter of friendship

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami called on the followers of divine religions to pay more attention to fraternity and sincerity in his Christmas message to Christians.

In the message, read out by and Iranian TV presenter, Khatami contratulated Christians on the occasion of the birth of Jesus, who he said was a "symbol of divine mercy and kindness and God's spirit and teaching" .

"I hope that greater attention will be paid to fraternity and sincerity as a principle among all followers of divine religions, so that the sacred message of salvation, peace and friendship will be conveyed to mankind under the umbrella of face-to-face dialogue, promotion of friendship and sincerity and the attitude of cooperation," the message said.

"There is now an increase in the scope of the spiritual and material activity of humanity throughout the world towards ethics, spirituality, peace and peaceful coexistence based on divine teachings," it added.

"I pray to the almighty for an opening of a new chapter in the increasing promotion of friendship, compassion and cooperation between all people on the basis of virtue and truth," the message said.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.