UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided to cancel his scheduled recent trip to Iran, UN spokesman Stepane Dujarric announced Friday.

    In a statement issued by the spokesman, Annan noted that he and the Iranian government have mutually agreed that "this is not an appropriate time for him to travel to Iran."

    In light of the ongoing controversy, it would have been difficult to advance the agenda that the Secretary-General had wanted to discuss with the Iranian leadership, Dujarric added.

    Annan will depart this weekend for Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Pakistan, the spokesman said, adding that the Secretary-General will also have a brief stop in Paris where is scheduled to meet with French President Jacques Chirac on Monday.

    According to the spokesman, Annan will mainly focus, during his tour, on regional stability, on the Middle East peace process, Iraq, and the follow-up to September's World Summit. Enditem