Tehran, Kabul Sign MOU to Combat Terrorism, Drugs
Under an MOU signed by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai, Tehran and Kabul will cooperate in the campaign against terrorism as well as procurement and smuggling of narcotic drugs and are also to form a joint commission.
The two sides are also to form a transportation committee to improve transit and transportation of goods and services and rebuild roads in Afghanistan.
Iran will per the MOU help Afghanistan reform its police and army, a point welcomed by the Afghan party.
The documents assign both sides to abide by the 1972 protocol which determine Iran's share of Hirmand River water resources.
The Afghan party appreciated Iran for its support to refugees and the interim government of Afghanistan.
Khatami and Karzai stressed on laying a general foundation for the two-way cooperation based on the principles of good neighborliness, non-intervention in each other's internal affairs, mutual respect, and defending each other's territorial integrity.
Meanwhile, Iran's Minister of Agricultural Jihad Mahmoud Hojjati and his Afghan counterpart Hossein Anwari endorsed an MOU on Tehran- Kabul cooperation in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and drugs smuggling campaign through substituting poppy cultivation with other crops.
A protocol on mutual commercial cooperation was also signed by Iran's Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari and his Afghan counterpart Mostafa Kazemi.
Hojjati and the Afghan Rural Development Minister, Abdolmalek Hamvar, also inked an agreement on rural development in Afghanistan.
Cultural and educational agreements were also reached between Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Afghan Minister of Culture and Information Seyed Makhdoum Rahin here last night.
President Khatami and Karzai also attended a press conference after signing the agreements.
Also, Karzai denied U.S. charges that Iran was interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and undermining his government.
"Iran has never interfered in the internal affairs of Afghanistan," he said during a joint news conference with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.
"Tehran has always shown goodwill toward Afghanistan and its people," Karzai said and described the Islamic Republic's role in his country as "sensitive and very important."
"Iran has always made a praiseworthy assistance in the issue of anti-terror fight and ousting Talelan to the Afghan people," he added.
The interim Afghan government head further said that diplomatic problems between Tehran and Washington would not prevent Kabul from bolstering its relations with Iran.
He further invited both Tehran and Washington to contribute to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. "In our view, what is important is the fact that both Iran and the United States (should) participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and assist the Afghan people."
"The ongoing situation (in ties) between Iran and the United States will never affect promotion of relations between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran," Karzai said.
These remarks were echoed by President Khatami who said "American accusations and its threats against the Islamic Republic will have no impact on Iran's friendly and brotherly stance toward other countries, including Afghanistan."
"We have always announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran's policy is based on detonate and this includes all countries, our friends and foes alike," Khatami said.
"We are thinking about peace, stability and progress in Afghanistan. We believe that this country needs the assistance of all countries, especially its neighbors, in order to put behind the hardships of the past years and provide a favorable living condition for its nation," he added.
"We consider it as part of our religious, national and fraternal duty to strengthen the legitimate central government in Afghanistan and put forward all our possibilities, as defined in the bilateral agreements of the two governments, at the disposal of the Afghan reconstruction," Khatami went on to say.
The Iranian president stressed that Tehran was "very optimistic" about the prospects of its diplomatic relations with Kabul as well as the Afghan future.
Khatami also denounced Washington's enmity with the Islamic Republic, better seen in recent statements of the American statesmen and those of President George W. Bush who has lumped Iran, Iraq and North Korea together as forming an "axis of evil."
"American statesmen's recent statements, which are based on false accusations, have forged complete solidarity in Iran against any threat..., beside forcing all European, Asian and other countries to show a negative reaction toward those stances," he said. American animosity toward Iran, Khatami added, is not a new thing and has roots in the "inexperience and non-realistic attitude" of that country's rulers.
----- Foreign Forces Will Leave Afghanistan Once Calm Returns: Karzai ---
In an interview IRNA, Karzai said foreign forces, operating outside the framework of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), would leave Afghanistan once security is established in the country.
The central Afghan government has launched plans to establish a national army, he said, adding the creation of a Loya Jirga or traditional assembly, according to the requirements of the Bonn conference, will also be completed in spring.
The ISAF includes 4,000 British forces, tasked with guaranteeing security and peace in Kabul.