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Iran's Ahmadinejad cuts visit to Armenia short UPDATE
10.23.07, 6:27 AM ET

[link to www.forbes.com]

YEREVAN, Armenia (Thomson Financial) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has cut short a two-day visit to Armenia due to the domestic political situation and key talks on the Iranian nuclear issue in Rome, a diplomatic source here told Agence France-Presse, the French news agency.

'He shortened his visit and is returning to Iran because of the internal political situation in the country,' the source said. 'Also this is linked with the discussion of the question of Iran which is happening today in Rome.'

'Today we are expecting strong criticism addressed to Iran.'

Iran's new nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, left Tehran for Rome today to hold his first talks over the atomic crisis with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

Jalili, a hardliner close to Ahmadinejad, was accompanied by his predecessor Ali Larijani, the ISNA news agency reported.

The presence of Larijani, who quit on Saturday after falling out with Ahmadinejad over the handling of Iran's nuclear policy, has raised eyebrows among observers.

Larijani is officially attending as the representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council, a position he retained after his resignation.

The Armenian presidential administration had previously announced that Ahmadinejad would visit today a memorial to victims of the Ottoman massacres of Armenians between 1915 and 1917, a regular stop for visiting dignitaries.

He had also been scheduled to visit Yerevan's Blue Mosque and to meet with members of the Iranian community here.

Armenian presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonian said Ahmadinejad had returned to Tehran 'for urgent reasons' but did not elaborate.

'During meetings yesterday both presidents agreed that the president of Iran would go back to Iran earlier than expected for urgent reasons. The early end of the visit won't affect Armenian-Iranian relations,' Sogomonian said.

Ahmadinejad's senior advisor Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi denied the visit had been cut short, saying 'the Iranian delegation is returning to Tehran at the planned time.'

'All of the Iranian president's programme was realized as planned during the visit to Armenia,' he said.