Rome - Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini cancelled a scheduled visit Wednesday to Iran following a last-minute decision by Iranian authorities to switch the venue of a planned meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Frattini "turned down" a request made Wednesday morning by Iranian authorities, that talks with Ahmadinejad be held in the north-eastern city of Semnan instead of the capital Tehran, a Italian Foreign Ministry statement said.
Earlier, Ahmadinejad speaking in Semnan, announced that Iran on Wednesday successfully tested a new surface-to-surface missile that has a range of about 2,000 kilometres.
The West has continually voiced concern over the Shahab 3 missile, which, with a range of 1,300 to 2,000 kilometres, could reach any part of Israel, the archenemy of the Islamic state of Iran.
The Italian Foreign Minstry statement did not refer to the missile launch, but said Frattini expressed his "deep regret," that his visit to Iran did not take place.
"An opportunity had been missed," for Frattini and Ahmadinejad to further consider the "possibility and means of an involvement of Iran in attempts to bring stability to Afghanistan and Pakistan," the statement said.
