Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday told his Algerian counterpart that an alternative should be found for the United Nations, according to reports. "The United Nations Security Council can no longer settle international conflicts and challenges in a fair way and just serves the interests of world powers," Ahmadinejad told visiting Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
"Therefore we should look for alternatives to manage world affairs," added Ahmadinejad, emphasising the possible roles of Iran and Algeria in this new world order. Official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Bouteflika as saying that considering the global status quo, Tehran and Algiers should have expanded co-operation on a regional and international level.
The two sides also voiced their readiness to aid the Iraqi government and fight terrorism. Their summit in Tehran is also to see the signing of several bilateral agreements in the industrial and energy fields. Also scheduled were talks on forming an Opec-like group of gas producing and exporting states. The Algerian president, who previously visited Iran in 2003, will also meet later Monday with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.