Iran: US, root cause of extremism in Afghanistan

Tehran, May 23, IRNA – Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Sunday that Washington is the root cause of extremism in Afghanistan.

In a meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Staffan de Mistura, he regretted that the Afghan people are still facing various kinds of problems.

The wrong policies of the past have had negative consequences in that war torn country whose people are paying the price, he said.

The Iranian minister referred to the Afghan crisis as a major regional issue.

Referring to the great efforts made by the Islamic Republic of Iran to establish peace and security in that neighboring country, he said the western states, ignoring the current situation in Afghanistan, make inappropriate decisions for the Afghan nation.

The Afghan problems are only resolved through regional cooperation, Mottaki reiterated.

Referring to Iran-Afghanistan long joint border lines, Mistura praised Iran’s hospitality towards millions of Afghan refugees in the past few years.

Appreciating Iran’s role in the establishment of security and stability in Afghanistan, he said the United Nations hopes Afghan problems would be resolved soon through regional assistance./end