A new pro-free trade business newspaper hit Tehran's newsstands on Saturday, the third press launch in Iran in a little more than a month.
The Tejarat-e Azad (Free Trade) paper will be published twice a week but its directory board said it hopes to become a daily publication as soon as possible to help "take a positive step" to boost the free-trade movement.
President Mohammad Khatami has been pushing to liberalise the economy and privatise key sectors in a bid to counter the economic woes of the nation, which has been hard hit by unemployment and inflation.
Last week a new pro-reform daily, Hambastagi, appeared on Iranian newsstands, following September's relaunch of the reformist Aftab-e Yazd, which had previously been published only in one Iranian province.
More than 20 mostly pro-reform newspapers and journals were closed when the conservative courts launched a sweeping press crackdown in April, after reform backers of Khatami won a majority in parliamentary elections. – (AFP)
© Agence France Presse 2000
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
