TEHRAN -- UNESCO is sending an expert to Iran to examine church documents for future registration on its World Heritage List, Taha Hashemi announced on Tuesday.

The Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Research Center director added that the specialist will be sent in September and will study the documents of twelve churches which have been submitted for registration by UNESCO. Hashemi stated, “Every country when submitting a historical site for world registration must send the relevant documents to UNESCO, and if the documentation is incomplete an opportunity will be given for revision. “UNESCO will at a later stage send experts to the region to compare the documents with the original site, and finally UNESCO’s general assembly will decide on its suitability for world registration.” With reference to the fact that in 2005 UNESCO endorsed the registration of only one historical site per country each year, he added, “Iran has asked UNESCO to increase the annual quota for the registration of Iranian historical sites. “If UNESCO accepts this proposal, Iran will endeavor to increase its registration of world heritage historical sites,” he concluded