Iran, Brazil vow to boost relations

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed to boost ties in talks held at the start of Lula's visit to Iran, official media reported.

The West said the visit might be Tehran's last chance to avoid new UN sanctions over its atomic programme but there was little direct reference in released reports of the meeting to Iran's nuclear standoff. "Ahmadinejad thanked the Brazilian president's stance in support of Iranians' rights and the position he adopts for improving the world," said a statement posted on Ahmadinejad's website.

"The truth is some countries which dominate the world's media, economic and political centres do not want other countries to progress. But together we can overcome these unfair conditions and make changes," Ahmadinejad said.

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