TEHRAN - Iran's transport minister has said the capital's new airport will finally be reopened at the end of April, but most likely without the presence of a foreign consortium, a press report said Wednesday.
The presence of Turkish-Austrian consortium Tepe-Akfen-Vie (TAV) at Tehran's new Imam Khomeini International Airport sparked a dramatic move by Iran's hardline Revolutionary Guards to storm and shut down the facility in May 2004.
"We have separated the fate of Imam Khomeini International Airport from that of TAV," Mohammad Rahmati was quoted as saying by the Iran newspaper, saying he expected the facility to reopen between April 21-30 while the TAV issue is being worked out.
He said pending a decision on the issue, three local companies had been charged with catering and operational activities the foreign consortium had won in a tender.
The Revolutionary Guards, one of Iran's most powerful institutions, shut down the airport jsut a day after it was opened. They argued that TAV also had dealings with arch-enemy Israel, and their presence at the airport south of the capital was a threat to national security.
And in September 2004, Iran's hardline dominated parliament voted to give itself the power to revise the contract with TAV.
The moves have badly hit relations with Turkey, and Iran's reformist government has accused MPs of simply being opposed to foreign investment.
03/02/2005 10:44 GMT