British Foreign Secretary to Visit Iran, Pakistan

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 21, 2001

British Foreign Secretary to Visit Iran, Pakistan

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced on Wednesday that he was to leave London later in the evening for a visit to Iran and Pakistan and pledged continued humanitarian and diplomatic aid to Afghanistan.

At a Downing Street news conference, Straw stressed the importance of the role to be played by the two countries on the future of Afghanistan. Pakistan has strong links with the Pashtun elements in Afghanistan, while Iran has great influence on the opposition Northern Alliance and the Herat parties.

"I will talk to them about the active support which they can give to the parties within Afghanistan with which they are historically related," said Straw.

He welcomed the United Nations plans for the different Afghan groups to meet in Berlin on Monday to start building a foundation for an interim civil administration in Afghanistan.

Warning against raised expectations, Straw emphasized the round-table talks were only a "preliminary meeting."

The announced trip will be the foreign secretary's second visitto Iran since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.