Khatami, Chávez meet in Miraflores

Mohammad Khatami, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrived Friday morning in Miraflores presidential palace to enter into several agreements, most of them related to energy.

The meeting of the Iranian ruler with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was delayed as Chávez had to stay one extra day in Paris due to faults in the presidential plane.

Chávez welcomed Khatami at 9:15 a.m. in Miraflores presidential palace, according to AFP.

The Iranian president arrived in Venezuela Thursday afternoon as part of a tour focused on the execution of energy agreements by the two OPEC member countries that overtly run counter to Washington policies.

Agreements include the construction of cement facilities, double taxation, central banks and housing, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry reported.

On Friday afternoon, Khatami will deliver a speech in the National Assembly. On Saturday, Khatami and Chávez will visit the mining city of Ciudad Guayana to open a tractor assembly plant.

This is the third visit of the Iranian ruler to Venezuela. Earlier, he attended the summit of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2000 and the summit of the Group of 15 in 2004.

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Domestic inflation stands at 1.7 percent

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Domestic inflation rate in Venezuela was 1.7 percent in January, at the same rate as in December 2009, despite currency devaluation at the start of the year decreed by President Hugo Chávez, a senior government source told Reuters on Tuesday.