Robert. Ok, I have to think about the diaper on the head thing...:o)
Now wouldn't Afghanistan be a handy dandy place for the US Airforce to set up shop, no wonder Iran is worried :-)
Iran Says Worried About U.S. Presence in Afghanistan
January 27, 2002 11:50 AM ET
DOHA (Reuters) - Iran's defense minister said on Sunday his country was worried about the U.S. presence in Afghanistan and dismissed as baseless U.S. reports that Iran was interfering in Afghan affairs or harboring al Qaeda fighters.
"Originally, the U.S. had said it would leave Afghanistan soon after the war against the Taliban was over. But now they are bringing new ideas, propositions and it seems they intend to maintain their presence in the region," Ali Shamkhani said.
"It is certainly a matter of worry for us," he told reporters at the end of a three-day visit to Qatar.
The United States launched its military campaign in Afghanistan in October to flush out Saudi-born Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda group, blamed by Washington for the September 11 attacks on U.S. cities, and to punish their Taliban protectors.
The head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation said last week Washington was worried that al Qaeda operatives had escaped Afghanistan through Iran. Earlier this month President Bush warned Tehran not to destabilize the new Afghan government or harbor fleeing al Qaeda members.
Iranian authorities have emphatically denied helping al Qaeda members to escape from Afghanistan or seeking to undermine the interim Afghan government.
"It is one of those usual false allegations...Our borders are firmly secure and impregnable," Shamkani said.
"We are fully supporting the interim government and we want peace and stability in Afghanistan. We are not arming any group," he said.
The United States was Iran's chief ally until the 1979 Islamic revolution overthrew the late Shah. But the two countries broke ties in 1980 after revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took its staff hostage.
Shamkhani told Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani during his visit that Iran wanted to extend military cooperation with the six Gulf Cooperation Council states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Non-Arab Iran opposes the deployment of U.S. and Western forces in the Gulf region and is keen to sign defense agreements with its Gulf Arab neighbors. But Gulf Arab states, which look to the West for military support, have declined Iran's offer.
Ties between Iran and Gulf states have improved in recent years.
reuters.com |
