Date: 01 Mar 2000
Time: 07:35:56
Remote Name: 156.29.145.175
02/29/2000 Agence France-Presse (Copyright 2000)
TEHRAN, Feb 29 (AFP) - The Iranian parliament on Wednesday will re- open debate on President Mohammad Khatami's ambitious plan to privatise major state-held industries after it was rejected by a supervisory council, sources said.
The Council of Guardians rejected "parts of Khatami's five-year plan which mostly have to do with large-scale privatisation," the parliamentary sources told AFP.
In November the parliament passed Khatami's first five-year plan since his 1997 election, much of which was aimed at restarting Iran 's flagging economy by ending the decades-old state monopoly on major industries from tea to telecoms.
Tobacco, sugar and the nation's railways are also among those sectors slated for privatisation by Khatami, who is attempting to reduce the nation's dependence on oil, which currently accounts for some 85 percent of hard-currency revenues.
But the petrochemical sector, along with banking and heavy industry, is to remain controlled by the state under the plan.
The conservative-dominated Council is charged with ensuring legislation passed by parliament is in accordance with Iran 's Islamic constitution.
Conservatives have traditionally had close links with Iran 's powerful bazaar merchants, who exercise a tremendous influence on the trading of almost all goods and services.