TEHRAN-- "Most Spaniards' knowledge of the Islamic Republic of Iran is so limited that they can not differentiate between Iran and Iraq, and they think that Iran is like Afghanistan," said the Iranian cultural attache in Madrid.

Mohammad-Bagher Karimian stated that negative propaganda against Iran, the great distance between the two countries, and the Spaniards' animosity toward Arabs are the main factors contributing to Spaniard's lack of knowledge about Iran.

The Iranian attache also observed that Iran has only been conducting cultural activities in Spain for a short time, adding that these activities should be expanded.

"More attention should be paid to the Iranian cultural niche overseas. We should introduce the Islamic Republic of Iran in a way that will make people of other countries more interested in the history and civilization of Iran," he said.

He added that instruction in the Persian language, translation of texts, and holding discussions with scholars on the situation in Iran are the most important priorities for Iran's cultural attaches.

Karimian stated that through the assistance of Iranian cultural attaches, over 300 titles of books in Spanish have been published since the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, but they do not suffice for the 300 million Spanish-speaking people throughout the world.

He said that Iranian cultural activities should be planned and conducted overseas, particularly, in Spain and Latin America.

Karimian maintained that financial problems and the scarcity of experts are the main problems hindering the activities of Iranian cultural attaches.