Khatami Visits Quake-Stricken Areas
Saturday's deadly quake destroyed more than 20 villages of the Avaj region in Qazvin Province and nearby Hamedan Province and resulted in the death of at least 229 people and injured 1,300 others.
The quake registered magnitude 6 on the open-ended Richter scale.
Upon his arrival in the province, the president visited Abdarreh village, which is inhabited by 60 families and is 100 kilometers away from Qazvin city.
Some 27 residents of the village were killed and 14 others injured. The village was completely razed to the ground.
The president also addressed the local people to express his sympathy.
He also visited Changoureh village, which was totally destroyed in the quake.
After his tour of quake-hit areas of Qazvin, President Khatami returned to Ardebil Province to continue his three-day visit.
Khatami visited the northwestern city of Ardebil on Tuesday morning at the head of a delegation and was welcomed by provincial officials.
Upon arrival at the city's airport, Khatami cited "meeting with local people and becoming familiar with their problems as well as the pace of developments in the province" as the objectives of the visit.
Speaking at a public gathering, Khatami told the people of Ardebil that the Islamic Republic system stands firm in its support of the Iranian people and all oppressed people throughout the world.
He said that support for the Palestinian people and their resistance to pressure exerted on them by the terrorist regime of Israel is along the same lines.
He announced that work on the Ardebil railway line would begin on Tuesday and that it would be linked to the nationwide railway system through the Tabriz-Tehran line.
He also referred to projects to modernize two airports in Ardebil Province, the construction of the main Ardebil-Firouzabad road and its connection to the Mianeh-Zanjan highway. He said that the government plans to implement five other projects to establish better communication links with Ardebil.
The president said that 303 development and 41 industrial projects, costing about 839 billion rials, would be initiated during his visit.
"Ardebil Province is gifted with great potential and the provincial people can tackle the existing problems by using their talent, with the help of state assistance," the president added.
The ministers of transport, energy and agriculture jihad as well as officials of the presidential office are accompanying Khatami on the trip.
Khatami inaugurated the first freeway in the province linking the provincial capital city to the towns of Nir and Namin.
The 45-kilometer freeway has been named after the former road and transportation minister Rahman Dadman, who hailed from the province. He was killed in a plane crash in May 2001 along with 29 others.