Azwer seeks Iranian aid for Batticaloa-Pottuvil railway line

M. A. Mohideen Himbutana group correspondent

COLOMBO: At a function held to felicitate M. M. Zuhair, Ambassador designate to the Islamic Republic of Iran, former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs A. H. M. Azwer called upon the new envoy to impress upon the Iranian authorities to help construct a railway line between Batticaloa and Pottuvil as proposed by the late President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

The felicitation ceremony was held recently at the YMMA Headquarters in Colombo presided over by the YMMA President Hafeel Saleemdeen.

Azwer said that in view of the multifaceted roles Ambassador designate Zuhair has played in the Sri Lankan society and with his easy accessibility to people coupled with personal charm there was no doubt that his appointment to the exalted position under President Mahinda Rajapakse's administration was a timely one and that the new Sri Lankan envoy to Iran would excel in his new career paving the way for new vistas of mutual help and understanding between Iran and Sri Lanka.

Among those who attended the function were the Iranian Ambassador Behnam Behrouz, the Head of the Iranian Cultural Division Dr. R. Baqari, and former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Iran Omar Kamil.