EC chief: US backs Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Tehran, Dec 23, IRNA
Iran-Afghanistan-Rafsanjani
Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Tuesday that the US along with some other countries in the region back Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Rafsanjani made the remark in a meeting with Afghan Parliament Vice Speaker Aman-Allah Payman and his entourage in Tehran on Tuesday.
In the meeting, Rafsanjani said the Islamic Revolution from its early stages opposed occupation of Islamic Afghanistan by the ex-Soviet troops.
Referring to the role of the US in backing Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, he said "Unfortunately certain countries in the region promoted extremism which led to occupation of Afghanistan." Praising the Afghan people and their officials who managed to draw up the country's constitution, the EC chief said the country's problems will be solved through timely planning.
Poverty and unemployment is the root cause of Afghan people's migration to other countries mainly Iran, he said, adding that promotion of economy and active presence of Iranian industrialists would be very useful for Afghanistan.
The occupiers failed to win support of the Afghan people and this has created numerous obstacles for them, he said.
The Afghan official, for his part, briefed Rafsanjani on the latest developments in his country and underlined that Iran has always backed the Afghan people during hardship.
Presence of foreign forces from 30 countries in Afghanistan who have no definite strategy is the root cause of existing challenges, he said, adding "We expect our neighbors to spare no efforts to help us attain our independence and serve our nation."
A number of Afghan MPs present in the meeting expressed their views on expansion of ties with Iran and called on the Iranian private sector to play a much more active role in the country's development projects.
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