Blowback continues to emanate from CIA actions in 1953:
portal.telegraph.co.uk
Iranian officials in secret Taliban talks
By Julian West in Islamabad and Christina Lamb,
Diplomatic Correspondent
(Filed: 04/11/2001)
IRAN has held secret negotiations with the Taliban in
an attempt to secure its influence in the region and
block the return of the exiled Afghan king Zahir
Shah.
There have been two official visits from the Taliban
to Teheran in the past three weeks and a secret
visit by an Iranian delegation to Kabul. Iran is
believed to have offered to arm and fund the return
to Afghanistan of Gulbuddin Hekmatayar, a former
Mujahideen leader, who has been living in exile in
Iran and wants to take up arms against the former
king. Officials also discussed providing fuel to the
Taliban.
The meetings, which were confirmed by a Taliban
government minister and a senior Taliban diplomat
last week, mark a dramatic shift in Iran's policy of
supporting the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. The
Taliban's radical brand of Sunni fundamentalism is at
odds with Iran's Shia version of Islam.
The Taliban has constantly persecuted Shia
minorities in Afghanistan and the two countries
almost went to war three years ago after the
murder of eight Iranian diplomats and a journalist by
Taliban soldiers in Mazar-i-Sharif.
The recent thaw in relations came when a Taliban
delegation led by Wahid Mazhada, head of the
Central Asia desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Kabul, went to Teheran three weeks ago to offer an
apology and seek support.
"Teheran will still never accept the Taliban but they
have invested a lot in Afghanistan and don't want to
end up with a hostile pro-American government on
their borders," said a Pakistani religious leader close
to Mr Hekmatyar.
The Iranians paid a return visit to Kabul last month.
A second Taliban delegation, led by Mullah Zain
Mohammed, the deputy Defence Minister, is currently
in the eastern Iranian city of Mashad.
Pakistan and Iran have long struggled for influence
over Afghanistan and each had their own groups
during the war against the Soviet Union. The Taliban
could not have taken over Afghanistan without
Pakistan's help, but its decision after September 11
to support America has left the field open.
Iran fears the return of king Zahir Shah could stir up
support for the overthrown Iranian Pahlavi dynasty.
Officially, Iran still backs the Northern Alliance,
however, hardliners have long pushed for greater
co-operation with the Taliban to regain power and
influence in Afghanistan. |
