Sunday, May 22 – An Iranian delegation including senior members of the Iranian parliament’s national security and Foreign Policy Commission accompanied by commission chairman Alauddin Boroujerdi is going to visit Afghanistan on Wednesday to meet with senior Afghan officials.
The Iranian delegation and the Kabul officials are going to discuss bilateral ties and cooperation, Afghan reconstruction and other issues of mutual interest during their two day visit in Afghanistan. According to the Media speculations, the Iranian delegation are also going to discuss the US plan for establishment of permanent bases in Afghanistan and this is going to be the main agenda for their visit.
Recent Afghan president Hamid Karzai said that America intends to establish permanent military bases in Afghanistan.
In relevant remarks last month, Afghan Interior Minister Besmellah Mohammadi announced his strong opposition to the establishment of permanent US military bases in his country.
“No one supports establishment of a permanent US base. Here the issue is strategic cooperation which will not be implemented without the parliament’s agreement at all,” Mohammadi told the Afghan parliament’s Home Security Commission in April.
He also referred to the opposition voiced by Afghan President Hamid Karzai against the establishment of permanent US military bases in his country, and underlined that Karzai had already rejected such plans.
Mohammadi stressed that Loya Jirga, Afghanistan’s Grand Council, is the only authority which should decide if any future strategic cooperation between Kabul and Washington is needed.
