TEHRAN A session on finalizing the second phase of the expansion plan of Mobarakeh Steel Mill was held here on Sunday with the participation of Iran, Italy and Germany.

The plan will be implemented by a consortium of Iran, Italy and Germany. The trilateral cooperation aims to promote the quantity and quality of the products and to remove some production obstacles, as well as reaching a target of 4 million tons of hot rolling products.

Meanwhile the Iranian Minister of Mines and Metals, Es'haq Jahangiri, expressed his happiness on the protocol and said, "Iran's policy has always been based on boosting cooperation with the European countries in economic and political areas." He praised the German and Italian officials, while saying that Italy has played a stronger role in this regard.

During the meeting, the managing director of Mobarakeh Steel Mill said that, "the protocol is a major stride toward increasing steel production in the country. According to Iran's needs in this field, production could double or triple.

Meanwhile, the Italian ambassador to Tehran praised the Iranian invitation and called the steel project important, saying, "We have reached a high level of bilateral cooperation in different fields."

The manager of SMS Demag and the manager of Techint also delivered speeches during the session.