The expert-level meeting of the 16th Non-aligned Movement (NAM) summit opened here on Sunday.
The NAM meeting will be held in three phases: preparatory senior officials meeting on Aug. 26-27, ministerial level meeting on Aug. 28-29, and the summit on Aug. 30-31.
Under the theme of "Lasting Peace through Joint Global Governance," the meeting will discuss a wide range of political, social economic issues and the Palestinian issue.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said in the opening ceremony that during the next years of Iran's presidency over the NAM, the Islamic republic is determined to strengthen unity among the member states of this organization.
Salehi said that Iran is resolved to turn the 120-member NAM into an efficient body.
Representatives from more than 100 countries have gathered in Tehran to discuss the new challenges which the world faces today, he added.
Founded in the former Yugoslavia in 1961, the NAM represents nearly two-thirds of the UN members and about 55 percent of the world population.
Salehi said in the opening ceremony that the foreign intervention in the regional issues is "not acceptable."
The Iranian minister stated that the Palestinian issue, as the most important problem in the region, should be taken seriously during the ongoing NAM meeting and the "criminal measures of Israeli regime, as the biggest threat to the region" must be taken into consideration.
Iran persists on the return of the Palestinians to their " occupied" lands in order to be able to democratically decide on their own fate, he added.
The Iranian foreign minister called for the active role of the NAM in annihilation of the weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
