TEHRAN Foreign and domestic guests participating in the 11th annual Persian Gulf International Conference opened here on Sunday said that greater cooperation among the Persian Gulf countries would serve the regional states.

Speaking to the TEHRAN TIMES, a lecturer at University of Mysore in India, Dr. Muzaffar Assadi, stressed the necessity for stronger cooperation among all Persian Gulf countries.

Regarding the presence of foreign forces in the region, he said, "I strongly oppose such presence, particularly the presence of U.S. forces in the region."

"The U.S. presence in this region is aimed at exploiting the natural resources of the Persian Gulf countries.

Another participant in the seminar, an adviser to the European Union, told the TEHRAN TIMES, "Cooperation between the regional countries is important for stability in the area."

Simon Petermann, who is also a professor of political science and international relations at Belgian universities, added that security cooperation between the regional states, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, is important and sensitive.

A researcher at Copenhagen Peace Research Institute, Dr. Dietrich Jung, who was also interviewed by the TEHRAN TIMES, emphasized cooperation between the regional states.

On Tehran-Riyadh cooperation, he said there have been contacts on a security pact between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adding that such contacts have yielded positive results.

As regards the dialogue among civilizations, he said it is important to open up avenues of this dialogue, adding that the initiative taken by President Khatami is worthy of praise.

An adviser to Foreign Minister, Sabah Zangeneh, said there is ample ground for cooperation between Iran and the Persian Gulf countries at bilateral, regional and international levels.

He said Iranian-Saudi cooperation, in particular, can benefit the whole region.

Sadeq Kharrazi, deputy foreign minister in charge of research and training, told the daily that the relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are currently at a satisfactory level.

Kharrazi denounced the presence of foreign forces in the region and said regional countries are quite capable of protecting their security, stressing that there is no need for the military presence of the outsiders in the region.

Meanwhile, Hossein Allah-Karam, a professor of political geography, national security and political science, told the TEHRAN TIMES that Iran's policy of detente has led to the expansion of relations between the Islamic Republic and other countries in the region.