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US allegation of presence of Al-Qaeda in Iran nonsense: expert

IRNA

 New Delhi, May 31, IRNA -- An Indian prominent researcher said on     
Saturday that America's accusation against Iraq on the presence of    
Al-Qaeda members in Iran is nonsense.                                 
    Anil Bhat, senior research fellow at the Institute of Defense and 
Strategic Analyses (IDSA) here, in an exclusive interview with IRNA   
said that these allegations are a continuation of the US propaganda   
against Iran and, in view of the current situation in the region and  
the world, have taken a new turn.                                     
    On the new accusation levelled by the US against Iran, Bhat said  
that since after the Sept 11 incidents the US has been hurling all    
kinds of threats on various countries, including the alleged presence 
of Al-Qaeda in one of these.                                          
    But the fact is that so far Washington has not been able to prove 
any of its allegations against Iran, including the presence of        
Al-Qaeda in the country, Bhat said, adding that Al-Qaeda can be       
present anytime, anywhere in the world, including in America.         
    Bhat, who is also a former Indian Army public relations officer,  
said that Al-Qaeda members do not have identification or passports    
from any one country. "Therefore, these people, with their complicated
organization, can go to any country but will not be able to go to Iran
as an organized armed group."                                         
    The Indian expert, while referring to the fact that US the        
allegation on the presence of Al-Qaeda in Iran was made after the     
suicides attacks in Riyadh and with certain objectives, stressed that 
Iran has a disciplined army and police.                               
    It is clear, he said, that Iran will not allow a group like       
Al-Qaeda to do subversive activities against other countries that     
will be detrimental to its reputation.                                
    Bhat said the new US allegation reveals that a certain group in   
the Pentagon is planning to pave the way for it to interfere into the 
internal affairs of Iran using certain pretexts.                      
    The expert, while emphasizing that Iran can never be a hiding     
place for Al-Qaeda or its support base, pointed out that there is a   
big ideological difference between Iran and this group.               
    Therefore, he said, the allegation of US officials vis-a-vis      
cooperation between Al-Qaeda and Iran are not acceptable because      
Tehran in the past, and during the Afghanistan crisis, sustained a    
big blow from Al-Qaeda and the Taleban.                               
/LS/AR                                                                
End