Iran’s quick condemnation of the devastating operations in New York and in Washington D.C., attributed to Mr. Osama Ben Laden, had created hopes that Iran might improve relations with Washington, but the regime’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneh’i cut short any expectations, reiterating Iran’s hostility towards the United States.

Tehran and Washington have held no diplomatic relations after the1979 Islamic Revolution, when the Students Following the Line of Imam captured American embassy, known as the 'den of spies', in Tehran.

That incident prompted the US to sever its ties with the Islamic Republic and dub the country and alleged sponsor of terrorism.

Ayatollah Khameneh’i welcomed Friday the agreements reached on Wednesday in Bonn by four Afghan delegations, saying one can not express but satisfaction and delight to see that decades of suffering by the Muslim Afghan people has ended.

But Mr. Khameneh'i accused both the United States and Britain of crimes against humanity and denounced their savage bombing of innocent Afghan people, women and children.

Mr. Kharrazi, too, expressed satisfaction, despite "some weak points" in a final resolution that chose Mr. Hamid Karzai, a pro-American Poshtoon leader who supports the former Monarch Mohammad Zaher Shah, as the head of the interim Afghan government.

"Tehran played a very important role at the Bonn conference. Though complete satisfaction is not achieved in such sessions and the final resolution also contained some weak points, by and large one has to be pleased by this success and welcome it", IRNA quoted the Foreign Minister, noting that Iran had worked closely with the United Front delegations during the nine days of intensive lobbies for working out a future Afghan government, he said.
Iran participated at the conference as an "accredited" nation along with twnty others, including representatives of the Six-Plus-Two Group that is made of Afghanistan's six neighbours in addition to Russia and the United States.

"We must not make the mistake by thinking the whole work is over and all problems are settled. Caution should be taken that the way between the power transition from an interim government to a permanent administration is covered prudently under the UN support and further internal strife is avoided", he said, pointing also to the "grave hurdles" Afghanistan is facing ahead".

Asked on the Islamic Republic's priorities and objectives in Afghanistan, Kharrazi said that Tehran favours the establishment of a broad-based government, representing all ethnic groups, in Afghanistan.

"Our objective is (to help with the) formation of a broad-based government which, we believe, could lead to the return of peace and stability in Afghanistan and put an end to a severe damage which we have been suffering as a neighbour of that country," he said.
The Foreign Minister also reiterated Tehran's concern at the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan, saying the war-ravaged country was "a victim of foreign interference", a reference to the United States, which helped the liberation of Afghanistan from the harsh Islamic rule of the Taleban.

"Foreign forces are after certain interests in Afghanistan, much to our chagrin. We think that the presence of alien forces in Afghanistan is a dangerous step which could lead to complicated problems", he said, calling for the creation of an indigenous police, with the participation of different ethnic Afghan groups, to guarantee security in the country, instead of a multi-nations peacekeeping force, as agreed in Bonn. ENDS KHARRAZI AFQANESTAN 71201