Tehran, June 24, IRNA -- President Khatami Saturday asked for broader role played by private sector to help the government solve the country's unemployment problem. Speaking at the regular assembly of Iran's High Employment Council the president also asked for establishment of special expert level committees at all concerned ministries and organizations, commissioned to prepare practical plans aimed at encouraging the country's private sector to play a more effective role in solving the unemployment problem. The president also wants the said sector to take part in development plans that will in turn lead to creating more new jobs. President Khatami meanwhile emphasized, "the government should play a smaller role in such fields, while its participation in infrastructure investments and large scale activities would increase." The priorities of economic activities that would lead to creation of more jobs in the framework of the country's Third Development Plan were discussed during the session and the need to deport the foreign nationals who do not have work permits was once again stressed. A report on the performed activities by the executive overnment organs regarding expansion of productive activities, encouragement of investments in manufacturing fields, and broader presence of the private sector in such fields was presented during the sessiion.

Iranian rial 10% up against U.S. dollar in past 18 months

Tehran, June 24, IRNA -- The real value of the national Iranian currency against the U.S. dollar has risen by 10 percent in the past 18 months, the Management and Planning Organization (MPO) said in a report recently. Currently the value of the U.S. dollar in the unofficial open market is around 8,000 rials. The report further said that the present strength of rial is expected to continue through the remaining years of the Third Development Plan (March 2000-March 2005). The strength of rial mainly stems from cutting the number of foreign exchange rates, limiting use of the official (lowest) forex rates to very few imported basic goods and introduction of a new exchange rate, close to that of the black market, for purchasing hard currencies from exporters, the MPO report added. Turning to the global approval of the recent performance of the state economy, the report said that the World Bank is intending to increase its extended loan to Iran to dlrs 750 million. In the past four years, the world body has extended dlrs 450 million of loan to Iran. On President Mohammad Khatami administration's efforts to create ample job opportunities in the country, the report said that on average in the past four years some 430,000 jobs have been created in the country, an unprecedented record but still insufficient due to the mass entry of job-seeking young people into the market. In the first year of the Third Development Plan (March 2000-March 2001), the projected 4.5 percent economic growth rate, creation of 450,000 jobs and limiting the yearly inflation rate to 19 percent have all been materialized, the report emphasized. Although, generally speaking, any rise in the exchange rate of a national currency will lead to a reduction in the level of a country's exports, fortunately the comprehensive economic policies adopted by the Khatami administration in the past four years not only have strengthened the Iranian rial but also have enabled the government to gradually increase the export volumes of non-oil commodities from the country. In conclusion, the report expressed hope that by pursuing the current sound economic policies, the projected goals of the Third Development Plan would be fully realized.