Khatami, Karzai Hold Talks on Wednesday
In the meeting, Khatami stressed that all-out efforts should be taken to lift Afghanistan from its current backwardness and enable this neighboring country to regain its status in the community of nations, IRNA reported.
"Afghanistan could contribute to the region's much-needed stability, tranquility and progress if its problems can be resolved," he added.
He also praised the Afghan government for taking the lead in cutting cultivation and trafficking of narcotic drugs.
The Iranian president further called on donor countries to come up with their promises of assistance which, he said, were crucial to removing the economic and financial difficulties of the Afghan people. He said they should honor their commitments in order not to disappoint his country.
"The Iranian government and nation have always supported the Afghan government and nation and mutual visits by the two sides' officials can go a long way in strengthening bilateral ties," he said.
Khatami further pointed to the signing of a tripartite agreement among Iran, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan in the field of transport and transit as a desirable example of regional cooperation crucial to achieving stability, security and development for the region.
The presidents of Iran, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan signed here Wednesday a memorandum of understanding to open a transport route connecting the three countries.
According to the MoU, signed by President Mohammad Khatami and his Afghan and Uzbek counterparts Hamid Karzai and Islam Karimov, respectively, Iran and these two Central Asian countries would be linked by a common highway.
Implementation of the transit accord would give Central Asian countries access to Europe and international waters through Iran and Afghanistan.
Khatami expressed the hope the Iran-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan transit accord would open more opportunities for development and progress of the regional states.
Hamid Karzai, for his part, expressed his appreciation for the assistance and continuing efforts of the Iranian government to help Afghanistan return to normalcy, and voiced the Afghan government's keen desire to forge and cement its ties with the Islamic Republic. The Afghan president assessed the trend of development of relations in various fields as "very significant."
He pointed to the transit agreement as a big stride in the way of progress and development of the countries involved, Afghanistan in particular, and voiced hope that Tehran-Kabul cooperation would grow even stronger.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, heading a 41-member high-ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran Wednesday morning to attend a quadrilateral meeting of the presidents of Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
During Karzai's three-day stay in Tehran, he will hold talks with Iranian officials on bilateral ties, regional developments and joint cooperation to secure their joint border and end poppy cultivation.
Karzai, who is visiting Iran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami, is expected to meet with Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Khatami, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, and other senior Iranian officials.