Iran Will Stay Out of Afghan Affairs, Arrest al-Qaeda: Khatami

KABUL, August 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami promised Tuesday, August 13, during a landmark visit to Kabul that Iran would arrest al-Qaeda militants and stay out of Afghanistan's internal affairs.

Flanked by a smiling Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Khatami also promised Iran's help in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and said his country had played a major role in the downfall of the Taliban regime, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

"We have no intention of interfering in the work of this country," Khatami told reporters on his first visit to Kabul since a U.S.-led alliance ousted the Taliban.

"No country should accept the interference of other countries in the affairs of Afghanistan."

Khatami, whose government has just handed over 16 al-Qaeda suspects to Saudi Arabia six months after announcing the arrest of 150 al-Qaeda fighters near its Afghan border, said Tehran would continue to arrest and deport militants from these groups.

"We have announced that in no way will Iran be abused or misused by the terrorist groups who have been in Afghanistan," Khatami said.

"As soon as we know that there are people who may be connected to these groups we will take action.

"As soon as we have found people who have been members of al-Qaeda we have arrested them and sent them back to their countries."

An Iranian newspaper close to Khatami linked the handover to Khatami's talks with the government in Kabul, whose strong U.S. backing has aroused growing suspicion in Tehran, AFP said.

The United States, which has not had diplomatic relations with Iran for 20 years, has some 7,000 troops based on Afghan soil hunting for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Some in the U.S. administration, notably Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, have in the past accused Iran of giving shelter to al-Qaeda fighters who fled the U.S. military war in Afghanistan.

And U.S. President George W. Bush accused the Islamic republic of being part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea that was bent on acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Iranian state television on Monday, August 12, said the handover was done within the framework of Tehran's cooperation with the "UN" anti-terrorist campaign.

Tehran, which was a staunch supporter of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, has consistently rejected any campaign led by the United States, expressing support instead for the idea of a UN-sponsored anti-terror war.

A senior Iranian diplomatic source in Kabul told AFP recently that Tehran did not regard the U.S. troops in Afghanistan as enemy forces as both countries agreed on the need to defeat terrorism.

But Khatami said Tuesday that foreign governments should only remain in Afghanistan to help with reconstruction.

"Otherwise there would be no justification for their presence here," he said.

Khatami also accused Bush’s administration of Bush of adopting an "angry approach towards foreign policy."

Khatami, speaking at a joint press conference after talks with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, also delivered a veiled criticism of threats by the United States to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"I believe that in fact former (U.S.) politicians or administrations were much more committed to helping the people of the world," Khatami said.

"But this administration, especially since September 11, has taken up a very angry approach towards foreign policy," he said.

In an apparent reference to U.S. threats to oust Saddam, Khatami said: "Whoever starts war, will actually be victim of this war.

"Aggression brings aggression.

"To believe that by force you can actually make people submit is wrong and we know it actually brings anger and causes a lot more destruction," Khatami said.

On a more conciliatory note referring to Iran-U.S. relations, Khatami said he believed relations between peoples of different countries were often different from the statements that their political figure made.

Khatami's visit to Kabul was expected to herald a new beginning in relations between the neighbors, which hit an all-time low during the rule of the Sunni Muslim fundamentalist Taliban.

Karzai stressed the two countries' ancient ties.

"The people of Afghanistan and the people of Iran share profound bounds, historical, cultural and religious," he said, comparing their relations to those of "brothers".

"The Muslim people of Iran have not only helped us in the Jihad (war against Soviet occupation) but also in the struggle and fight against terrorism."

A group of Iranian diplomats was killed at Tehran's consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998 after the Taliban captured Afghanistan's main northern city, prompting calls in Iran to invade Afghanistan and a massive build-up of troops on the border.

The Iranian president's visit also comes after the UN refugee agency said Monday it was alarmed at the sudden rush in refugee returns from Iran, claiming it was a result of pressure by Iranian authorities.