Zagreb, April 25, 1997 (IKA) – On April 25, Archbishop Cardinal Franjo Kuharić of Zagreb met with Ayatollah Tashiri, chairman of the Council for Islamic Doctrine and second in authority in Iran after Ayatollah Hamanei, at the archbishop#!s residence in Zagreb. In Ayatollah Tashiri#!s words of greeting, he emphasized how “it is desirable to establish the best possible relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Croatia, not only on the economic and political levels but on the spiritual and religious levels.” Those present at the meeting included the president of the Islamic community in Croatia and Slovenia, Ševko Omerbašić; Auxiliary Bishop Juraj Jezerinac of Zagreb, the Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Croatia, Mohammad Javad Asayesh; and the secretary of the Council for Ecumenicism and Dialogue of the Croatian Conference of Bishops, Dr. Anton Škvorčević. Ayatollah Tashiri will
participate in a symposium prepared by the Islamic community in the Republic of Croatia on Islam and Muslims in the West, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Zagreb mosque.