President Of Afghanistan Embraces Iran
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
KABUL, Afghanistan — President Karzai gave Iran his full embrace yesterday, saying it has been his country’s “very close friend,” even as American officials meeting with him here repeated their accusation that Iranian-made weapons were flowing to Taliban fighters.
Mr. Karzai made the remarks at a joint news conference following a meeting with Defense Secretary Gates, who was in Afghanistan for nearly 24 hours to meet with American commanders and Afghan officials. Mr. Gates said he raised the issue of the Iranian munitions in his meeting with Mr. Karzai, but he acknowledged that there was no evidence the Iranian government was behind the alleged shipments.
When asked whether he believed Tehran, which has been mostly a benign presence in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, had decided to change course and support its former foes, Mr. Karzai gave an impassioned backing for the Iranian government. He called it a force for good inside Afghanistan.
“Iran and Afghanistan have never been as friendly as they are today,” Mr. Karzai said. “In the past five years, Iran has been contributing to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, and in the past five years, Afghanistan has been Iran’s very close friend.”
Pentagon officials in recent weeks have made repeated reference to the Iranian-made weapons the Americans say they have found in Afghanistan, which include roadside bombs that have been used so effectively against American forces in Iraq. Mr. Gates repeated the charge at yesterday’s news conference, but said America has not determined why they have made a recent appearance. He said the weapons, which began turning up in “the past few months,” might be part of a campaign being waged by Taliban fighters but also could be intended for violence related to the narcotics trade.
“We do not have any information about whether the government of Iran is supporting this, is behind it, or whether it’s smuggling, or exactly what’s behind it,” Mr. Gates acknowledged. “But there clearly is evidence that some weapons are coming into Afghanistan destined for the Taliban.”
