TEHRANIran with an awareness of international community should defend the developing countries and make necessary planning for producing experts, the Minister for Post, Telehgraph and Telephones, Mohammad Reza Arif said yesterday. Adressing the employees of his ministry on the occasion of the International Day of Communications, said Iran has great potential and it was hoped the level of expertise in the field of telecommunications would increase considerably.

He said Iran should seek international cooperation in accordance with the needs of the region. Arif further said that currently the total number of telephone subscribers is 240,000 as compared to 180,000 during the last year. Earlier the Managing Director of the Telecommunications Company, Seyed Abdollah Mir Taheri had told newsmen that the total number of telephone subscribers in the country was 6.5 million.

He said the plans were in hand to further develop telecommunications services and make the people all over the country to make full use of this technology.