Iran Against Locating International Peace-Keeping Force In Afghanistan

Iran is against plans of putting international security-insurance forces into Afghanistan, said the Iranian leadership in a statement. It was voiced in Teheran on Wednesday by Hamid Reza Asefi, public relations chief at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. He said that "the presence of foreign armed groups in the Islamic State of Afghanistan is contrary to the principles of territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan, may even further complicate the situation in that country and lead to wrecking of the peace-making process". Asefi stressed that, after a provisional government of Afghanistan has been formed, only it can assume the responsibility for the maintenance of peace and stability in that state. "The right of the people of Afghanistan to protect their own interests cannot under whatever pretext be snatched from them", said the chief of the press service of the Afghan Foreign Ministry.