Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Iran slams 'Afghanistan bribery' report



Press TV

"Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast says Tehran's financial aid to Afghanistan is aimed at helping the war-ravaged country reconstruct its infrastructure [such as roads which are used by the NATO occupation troops].

"As Afghanistan's neighbor, Iran has offered its assistance to the country to improve the state's infrastructure and we will continue that," a Press TV correspondent quoted Mehmanparast as telling reporters during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday morning.

The Iranian official made the remarks in response to a US media report that alleged that Iran gave "bags of money" to Afghan President Hamid Karzai to secure his loyalty.

"Unlike some countries that staged a military attack [on Afghanistan] and spent money on killing Afghan people and disrupting regional security, Iran is concerned about Afghanistan's security and stability [and that is why Iran strongly supported the thugs of the "Northern Alliance" who led the invasion under US command??]and has always offered help to the state for its reconstruction," Mehmanparast added.

In a report published on Saturday, The New York Times claimed that President Karzai receives millions of dollars every other month from Iran and that the money is distributed among Afghan lawmakers, tribal elders and even Taliban commanders......"

See This from Asia Times:

Iran and the US: United over Afghanistan?

"....The US has sent a high-ranking delegation led by Vice President Joe Biden and the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrook. They are expected to seek informal dialogue with Iran, represented by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and parliament speaker Ali Larijani.

This contact on the event's sidelines will likely focus on the Iranian role in Iraq and the need for Tehran's cooperation over Afghanistan, especially in allowing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) non-military supply lines to pass through the Iranian port of Chabahar on the way to Afghanistan......

These are some the developments that will be considered at the Munich meet. In anticipation of its worst year in Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, it is possible that the Americans will abdicate much of their interest in Iraq in favor of the Iranians, and in return, Tehran will allow passage to NATO's non-military supplies through Chabahar port."

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