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Iranian Leader In Banjul

Nov 23, 2009, 2:09 PM | Article By: Baboucarr Senghore

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Banjul yesterday for a 24 hours working visit.

According to diplomatic sources, President Ahmadinejad's visit was geared towards fostering the relations that exist between The Gambia and Iran.

During his stay in the country, he had a tête-à-tête with his Gambian counterpart, President Yahya Jammeh.

Sources further stated that the two leaders discussed on bilateral issues, ranging from security, fisheries, trade, energy, agriculture, education and transport.

He is due to leave Banjul today for Senegal, then to Latin America, Brazil and Bolivia.

Born in October 1956 near Garmsar in the village of Aradan, 60 miles Southeast of Tehran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejab was appointed Mayor of Tehran in the spring of 2003. The fourth of seven children, President Ahmadinejab holds a PhD in Traffic and Transport from Tehran's University of Science and Technology, where he also served as a lecturer.

In 2005, he won the presidential elections, which had taken the international community by surprise, as they anticipated a win for the incumbent President, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

He is the sixth and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.