Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade met with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran on Saturday.
In the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that Islamic world must take firm action on the Palestine issue.

“Today, oppressed and lonely Palestine needs firm and measured action in the Muslim world,” the Leader said.

He went on to say that the Organization of the Islamic Conference was established with the aim of addressing the issue of Palestine and therefore it has an important duty in this regard.

Senegal currently holds the rotating presidency of the OIC.

Arrogant powers and certain Islamic governments support the Zionist regime, but Muslim nations are determined to help the Palestinians, and the OIC should defend the Palestinian people and give them hope, Ayatollah Khamenei stated.

During the meeting, the Leader and the Senegalese president expressed satisfaction over the expansion of relations between Iran and Senegal.

President Wade called Dakar’s relations with Tehran excellent and said Iran enjoys a high status in the Islamic world and its views are very influential at the OIC, which is the most important Islamic organization.

“Iran has an important position in the Islamic world, and certainly its experiences are effective and valuable for the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Islamic world,” the Senegalese president noted.

He also expressed satisfaction over the fact that Iran held a “glorious” presidential election on June 12.

Arrogant powers want Islamic, African countries’ resources

In a separate meeting with Wade on Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that the arrogant powers are attempting to exploit the resources of Islamic and African countries to resolve their own problems.

Ahmadinejad said it is necessary for Islamic and African countries to be aware of this fact and to increase their cooperation so they can play an active role in the international arena.

“African and Islamic countries should take steps to meet their needs and become self-sufficient in various spheres through the expansion of their relations and cooperation,” he added.

The Senegalese president stated that all African countries, and particularly Senegal, are trying to achieve self-sufficiency in agriculture, especially food crops.

Wade said Tehran-Dakar relations are expanding and Senegal is keen to make use of Iran’s experiences in water and energy projects, and especially for the construction of power plants.