TEHRAN The Netherlands will hold the World Press Photo Exhibition in Tehran and Shiraz, said Royal Netherlands Embassy Counsellor Frans J. Potuyt.

"The week long photo exhibition will open in Tehran on April 29. The exhibition will open in the southern city of Shiraz the following week," he noted.

Potuyt made the remark during a visit to the offices of the TEHRAN TIMES, where he was invited to lunch by the daily's Managing Director Abbas Salimi Namin. The daily's Editorial Board Members Hassan Rassouli and Irfan Parviz were also present.

Asked whether Dutch business companies are interested in conducting business with Iran, Potuyt replied, "Yes, but the lack of clear-cut rules and regulations constitutes an obstacle in this regard."

He lauded the common Iranians' knowledge of national and international issues and voiced optimism that there would be more understanding between the two nations in the near future.

Potuyt has been in Iran for two and a half years. He is accompanied by his wife, Anita de Vogel, who works with United Nations High Commission for Refugees. He has two sons, Jaap and Pieter, and two daughters, Liesbeth and Christina.