UN defies Bush's characterization of Iran

UNITED NATIONS - Iran, a country maligned by the United States, remains a key player in sustaining peace and stability in Kabul, the UN's highest-ranking official in Afghanistan said on Wednesday. "Iran is a very important neighbor - and they are not going to go away," said Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN's special envoy for Afghanistan.

His assessment is in stark contrast with that of the United States, which has accused the Iranians of arming Afghan warlords and threatening the stability of the newly installed interim administration headed by the strongly pro-US Hamid Karzai.

Brahimi said the United Nations is in "very close touch" with the Iranian government and "and we would like to help the relationship between Iran and Afghanistan be as constructive as possible. We would like to keep the relationship positive - and not create any problems," he added.

Addressing the Security Council on Wednesday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was equally emphatic about maintaining the peace with Iran. Singling out both Iran and Pakistan for special praise, Annan said: "One key element in Afghanistan's recovery will be the support of its neighbors. Iran, which like Pakistan has hosted many refugees for many years and has long had trade and other contacts with Afghanistan, also recognizes the national interest in a stable Afghanistan."

Apparently seeking to allay US fears, Annan said Iranian authorities had told him they would not tolerate the presence of Taliban or al-Qaeda personnel on their territory. Late last month, Washington alleged that key Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders might have crossed over to Iran in the aftermath of the recent military strikes on Afghanistan. The Iranians have denied providing safe haven.

Annan, who returned to New York last week after visits to Iran and Pakistan, told delegates the two countries have pledged to work with each other and with Afghanistan's other neighbors as the UN moves ahead in the war-devastated country. "Such a regional approach holds great promise, and I intend it to be a major pillar of UN strategy in confronting this challenge," he added.

US President George W Bush, in his State of the Union address last week, identified three countries - Iran, Iraq, and North Korea - as potential targets in the ongoing US war against terrorism. Bush described the three countries - already on a State Department list of "terrorist states" - as the "axis of evil" and accused them of developing weapons of mass destruction.

Denying the charges, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi lodged a strong protest with the UN against the "unfounded allegations". Brahimi told the Security Council Afghanistan has begun to make progress toward peace and stability "but the road is still very long and fraught with danger". The Afghan people are exhausted by the conflicts that have destroyed their livelihoods and threatened the very existence of their country, he said, adding: "They want peace and they know that they will still need the support of their friends and neighbors, as well as the support of the international community as a whole."

Brahimi implicitly supported a proposal to expand the 4,500-strong International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Kabul. Referring to numerous clashes between feuding warlords, mostly outside Kabul, Brahimi said these confrontations demonstrate that peace in Afghanistan is still fragile. At the same time, the visible presence of ISAF troops in Kabul has led to an improvement in the security situation in the Afghan capital. "This has led to increasingly vocal demands, by ordinary Afghans, members of the interim administration and even warlords, for the expansion of the ISAF to the rest of the country," he said. "We tend to agree and hope that this will receive favorable and urgent consideration by the Security Council."

Brahimi's outgoing deputy, Francesc Vendrell, hinted that the force eventually could grow to around 30,000 personnel. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in New York last week, senior State Department official Richard Haass said the ISAF might have to be expanded to about 25,000 troops deployed across Afghanistan. Asked whether an expansion was feasible, Brahimi replied, "Of course, the two key questions are getting the number of soldiers and finding the money. That's always a little problem."

Created by the Security Council in late December, the ISAF consists of troops from some 16 countries, including Austria, Bangladesh, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Jordan, the Netherlands and Turkey. Britain is providing the largest contingent of troops, some 1,800. The mandate of the force is for six months beginning mid-January.

During a visit to Washington last week, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Karzai had made a persuasive case for an expansion of the ISAF. "The issue is the practicality of it," he added.

On Monday, Joseph Biden, chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, proposed that the United States commit troops to ISAF. "Security is the basic issue in Afghanistan. Whatever it takes, we should do it. History will judge us harshly if we allow the hope of a liberated Afghanistan to evaporate because we failed to stay the course," he said.

But Bush told visiting Afghan leader Karzai last month that Washington would not provide troops. Instead, it will help train the Afghan army and police force.

(Inter Press Service)