President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is greeted upon arrival in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Monday to attend the Sixth D8 Summit.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran is prepared to meet the energy needs of D8 member-states in a fair manner in return for other products.
Ahmadinejad, who is in Kuala Lumpur to attend the D8 Summit, was being interviewed by Malaysian TV and news agency on Monday, ISNA reported.
“We are ready to meet the internal needs within D8 and establish special trade ties among member-states,“ he said.
The chief executive said international oil companies have looted the world with the support of some powers.
“For controlling oil price across the world, the access of international oil companies to the energy market must be severed,“ he said.
Ahmadinejad reiterated that Iran is committed to D8 members.
He commended the effective measures adopted by Indonesia during its chairmanship of D8 and expressed hope that during the tenure of Malaysia as the new chairman of the group, members would witness positive and constructive developments.
Ahmadinejad referred to D8 as an important and influential group in global economic transactions and said member-states can overcome problems by establishing ties in the arena of economy, especially energy.
Asked about the threat of a possible US and Israel attack on Iran, he said, “Even if hundreds of countries like the US and Israel get together, they cannot dare attack Iran É George Bush has many satanic and inhumane dreams, including confronting the Iranian nation, but none of them has been fulfilled yet.“
The president noted that on the one hand they call for talks with Iran and on the other threaten us and insist that we must accept their illegal demands.
“The enemies of Iran do not want the country to advance. We are willing to negotiate only when both sides have an equiponderant position, as otherwise no results will be produced,“ he said.
Ahmadinejad said the prevailing global economic conditions stem from the oppressive policies of the bullying powers.
“One direct consequence is the hike in oil price. This is because there is no fair world order. Although growth in demand for oil is higher than growth in its consumption, its price has increased in an artificial manner. This hike has created problems for all nations, except a few specific groups.“
President Ahmadinejad held a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi on Monday, during which the two leaders stressed on reinforcing ties among D8 members.
Ahmadinejad underlined the importance of joint investment among member-states, stressing that D8 countries should be prepared for a new global situation.
Badawi stressed the importance of devising an efficient workplan for D8 states in order to avoid sudden problems.
Referring to the high potential of D8 members on the agricultural sector, the Malaysian premier called upon members to focus on key sectors.
Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the D8 Summit on July 8.
D8 comprises Iran, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. Ê

The Iranian oil companies of PetroPars and PetroIran will be sold via tender bids, head of Iran’s Article 44 Headquarters said.
Ali Kardar also told Presstv that the shares of Iran’s North Drilling Company will be offered to the public through the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) by August 21.
“Iran’s Privatization Company and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) are trying to transfer smaller companies to the private sector,“ he added. The official announced that in compliance with Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution, a total of 92 energy companies should be transferred to the private sector.
“Of these 92 companies, 40 can be transferred entirely to the private sector, while up to 80 percent of the remaining companies can be offered to the public through the bourse,“ he said.
Hojjatollah Ghanimifard, NIOC’s director for international affairs, told the London-based Middle East Economic Digest that the new plan would place the oil and gas companies under an umbrella group to attract foreign investments.
He said the firms would also be listed in Tehran by 2014.
“We decided that the Iranian stock exchange may need some financial support from outside stock exchanges, especially the oil sector, because the money involved is too much (for Iran),“ Ghanimifard said.
Deals have already been signed to list the holding company in the markets of two of Iran’s neighbors and two Asian countries.
“Today, the valuation award is something close to $90 billion in book value. But once they enter the stock market, the total amount will be more than that on the basis of the bidding,“ he concluded.

Iraq has rejected a formal agreement on the presence of US forces and proposed a short-term memorandum of understanding with the US, the war-wracked country’s prime minister said on Monday.
The Iraqi government proposed the memorandum after widespread Iraqi opposition to US demands emerged during talks on a more formal Status of Forces Agreement. Some type of agreement is needed to keep US troops in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at year’s end, AP reported.
The proposed memorandum includes a formula for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Maliki told several Arab ambassadors to the United Arab Emirates during a meeting on Monday.
“The goal is to end the presence“ of foreign troops, said Maliki.
The prime minister provided no details on the formula. But his national security adviser, Mouwaffak Al-Rubaie, said on Sunday the government was proposing a timetable that would be conditioned on the ability of Iraqi forces to provide security.
US President George W. Bush opposes a timetable for troop withdrawal.
By transitioning to a less formal memorandum and including a withdrawal formula, Maliki may have an easier time getting support from Iraqi lawmakers. They had been concerned about the original negotiation’s impact on Iraqi sovereignty.
Maliki has promised in the past to submit a formal agreement with the US to parliament for approval. But the government indicated on Monday it may not do so with the memorandum.
“It is up to the Cabinet whether to approve it or sign on it, without going back to the parliament,“ Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said.
Less than three weeks ago, Maliki said negotiations with the US over the agreement were deadlocked.
The contentious issues of the US-proposed pact were US authority to carry out military operations in Iraq and arrest the country’s citizens, plus legal immunity for private contractors and control of Iraqi airspace.
Iraqi officials said the US had agreed to drop immunity for private contractors and give up control of Iraqi airspace if the Iraqis guaranteed they could protect the country’s skies with their limited air force.

Public transport was paralyzed across Italy on Monday after workers launched a 24-hour strike to press for negotiations on a new collective bargaining contract.
Trade unions said the walkout had brought 82 percent of trains, buses and urban metro services to a halt, while main operators Astra and Anav said between 60 and 100 percent of employees had obeyed the strike call.
The action caused huge traffic jams as commuters turned to their cars, while in Naples van owners were operating an informal and illegal taxi service, AFP reported.
The strike affected different transport sectors, with national railway workers off the job from 9 p.m. on Sunday. In Rome and other main cities, a minimum service ran in the morning and evening as required by the law.
Airline unions had initially planned to join the action but decided to delay their strike until July 18 to avoid causing too much disruption as Italians leave for their summer holidays.
Monday’s strike was the second in less than two months, but the impact was more severe than the four-hour walkout on May 9.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke on phone over various issues, including Iran’s nuclear negotiation with major powers.