BBC Monitoring

Excerpt from report by Iranian state-run provincial TV from West Azarbayjan on 1 January

West Azarbayjan is the third province to have launched Iranian Koranic News Agency [IKNA] and posts 50 news items on its website every day, the director of the provincial branch of the IKNA Koranic News Agency has said at a meeting with IKNA reporters and the director of the provincial TV and Radio Organization.

He added that 450 news items are posted on this website every day and 50 of them are about West Azarbayjan.

Mr Rezazadeh said that news reports of the website are translated into 14 languages of the world as 75 per cent of visitors are from abroad.

Another speaker at the meeting, the head of the provincial TV and Radio Organization answered the reporters' questions and said that officials in charge of provincial networks are ready to report Koranic activities.

He added that officials and reporters of IKNA news agency should cooperate with relevant institutions, especially educational and cultural institutions, and impro! ve their work. He said that they should inform people about the news of the website.

[Passage omitted: The provincial IKNA director spoke about the founder of the website and said that the website has 11 domestic and three foreign branches]

[Video shows the meeting and the director of the agency interviewed by a correspondent of the central news unit]

Source: Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran West Azarbayjan Provincial TV, Orumiyeh, in Persian 2000 gmt 1 Jan 08