TEHRAN President Seyed Mohammad Khatami here on Thursday paid a visit to the ongoing 5th Press Festival and engaged in informal talks with publishers. In his visit to the TEHRAN TIMES stand, President Khatami inspected various facilities related to the daily. The officials presented at the pavilion explained the president the details of daily's day-to-day work. In his talks to an audience at the festival President Khatami supported the need for diversity of ideas in the Islamic society but observed also that diversity of ideas should not be allowed to turn into confrontational attitudes.

He said no one group can claim the right to existence to the exclusion of any other group. The president said every activity must be consistent with the laws of the state. He said `freedom' is a gem that glitters only in a society of law-abiding citizens. The 5th Press Festival has started work since Saturday.