Iran Ready For Legal, Judicial Co-op With Afghanistan

Tehran, May 20, IRNA – Minister of Justice Morteza Bakhtiari says Iran is fully ready for legal and judicial cooperation with Afghanistan and to this effect, preparations have been made for conclusion of three judicial agreements between the two countries in the fields of criminals extradition, legal and judicial cooperation. Speaking to Afghan Judiciary Chief Abdulsalam Azimi here on Sunday, Bakhtiari said exchange of visits would be effective in promotion of cooperation between the two countries. Noting that Iranˈs strategic policies stem from national constitution, Bakhtiari said support for the oppressed and campaign against injustice is one of such policies. He noted that Iran has announced since the victory of the Islamic Revolution that it will not keep silent on injustice to Afghan people despite enemiesˈ pressures. ˈOf course, there are a series of concern which should be taken seriously: Based on statistics, opium production grows annually in Afghanistan,ˈ said Bakhtiari, adding that the global arrogance is behind drug trafficking from Afghanistan. He noted that over the past years, no country has been active like Iran in the campaign against drug trafficking for which about 5,000 Iranians have lost their lives. Elsewhere in his remarks, Bakhtiari touched on presence of the US forces in Afghanistan, saying that the US has pledged to cut its forces in Afghanistan annually but has recently proposed establishing nine military bases in the country that was welcomed by the Afghan president. For his part, the Afghan Judiciary chief thanked Iran for supporting Afghan people over the past 30 years. In those years, Iran has been hosting millions of Afghan refugees and absolutely, the Afghan people will never forget Iranˈs help and hospitality, said the Afghan official. He said that legal and judicial cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan should have begun 30 years ago when Afghanistan was plagued with war, bloodshed and massacre. The official said that though Iran and Afghanistan have signed three protocols for judicial and legal cooperation, they have not yet been enforced and I hope arrangements would be made for their implementation./end