NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL EMERGED FROM VAJPAYEE’S VISIT TO IRAN
By a Special Correspondent
TEHRAN 13 Apr. (IPS) Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee ended Friday a four days official visit to Iran, pledging to co-operate with Tehran safeguarding peace, security and stability in the region.
However, he cold-shouldered a proposal by the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i for the creation of an anti-American and anti-NATO "axis" with the participation of Iran, India, China and Moscow, diplomatic sources said.
They said though the outcome of the visit was "positive" for India and despite the fact that the two sides "developped "common and identical views" on most of the subjects discussed, chief among them the situation in the war-torn Afghanistan, but nothing substantial emerged.
Addressing the Iranian Majles (parliament) on Wednesday, Mr. Vajpayee said the Taleban who rules Afghanistan presents a dangerous "challenge" that must be dealt seriously through close co-operation among the region’s nations.
"The Taleban have lost their sense and had become a threat to the stability of the region", Mr. Vajpayee told Iranian lawmakers, denouncing vehemently the Taleban orthodox Muslim rulers for the destruction of all statues of Lord Buddha, including the two giant ancient statues carved in the mountains of the northern city of Bamiyan.
The decision brought worldwide condemnation of the Taleban.
"Terrorism and an ambiguous ideology have unfortunately taken hold in our region, and led to a tragedy with the destruction of the historic heritage of mankind", he said in his speech.
Iran was the only Muslim nation that openly blasted the Taleban for the destruction of the Buddha statues, the witness of Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage now obliterated.
Though the Taleban are backed by Pakistan, India’s "eternal" and most implacable enemy, yet Mr. Vajpayee refrained from any attack on Islamabad for the all out assistance it provides for the Afghan authorities who controls more than ninety per cent of the nation ruined by more than three decades of fratricide civil wars.
But the official Iranian news agency IRNA said the Indian Prime minister "appeared to make reference to India's long-standing conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir, calling on neighbouring states which he did not name to abandon the path of violence".
Vajpayee said Iran and India, two important powers of the region that shares the world’s great civilisations and culture are bound to expand their co-operation to all fields and work hand in hand to promote peace and prosperity in Asia.
Observers said historically, culturally and traditionally, Iran has always felt closer to India than Pakistan, regarded by many Iranian scholars as an artificial nation created by Britain, the subcontinent’s former colonialist power.
Diplomats and political analysts said the Iranian visit of Mr. Vajpayee was important for New Delhi’s quest to establish closer ties with the Muslim world, particularly the oil rich nations of the Persian Gulf, in order to limit the influence of Pakistan in the one hand and satisfy it’s growing need for energy on the other.
Iran "mildly" objected to India’s close ties with Israel, a State the present Iranian regime does not recognise the existence, but at the same time expressed satisfaction of New Delhi’s "traditional" support for the Palestinian’s cause, according to sources close to the talks.
The two sides signed six agreements to boost co-operation in the energy sector and other fields including trade and technology and re-examined the project of transferring natural gas from Iranian fields to India via Pakistan, but as expected, nothing substantial was decided, due mostly to New Delhi’s "reservations", regardless of Islamabad "assurances" that it would "guarantee" the safe transit of oil and gas to India.
India also opened a 200 millions US Dollars credit line for Indian exports to Iran.
Besides Mr. Khameneh'i, the Indian Premier and the high-ranking political and economical delegation he was leading met also President Mohammad Khatami, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, Parliamentary Speaker Mehdi Karroubi and other top Iranian officials.
Vajpayee is the first Indian premier to visit Iran since 1993.
Iran's exports to India, mainly shipments of crude oil, were worth about $1 billion last year. Iran imported about $165 million worth of goods including tea, iron-ore, chemicals and textiles from India during the same period.
Winding up a busy four-day visit to Iran, Vajpayee on Friday toured the ancient city of Shiraz, where he visited the tombs the world famous Iranian poets Hafez and Sa’di as well as the 2,500-year-old ruins of Persepolis, one of the capitals of the Persian Empire. ENDS VAJPAYEE VISIT 13401