Iranian Leader Plans Visit To Afghanistan

A top official in the Afghan interim administration confirms that Iranian President Mohammed Khatami is expected to arrive in Kabul for talks prior to the convocation of the Loya Jirga, the grand tribal council that aims to establish Afghanistan's future course.

According to Interim Interior Minister Yunus Qanooni, Khatami's visit to Afghanistan will occur on June 8-9. The Iranian president will depart a day before the scheduled convocation of the Loya Jirga. The timing of Khatami's visit reflects the close personal relationship that Khatami and Hamid Karzai forged during the Afghan leader's visit to Iran in mid-February.

Among the many challenges that Karzai's interim administration has grappled with is the geopolitical dilemma posed by Iran, Afghanistan's western neighbor. Tension between Iran and the United States, one of Afghanistan's major new sponsors, has forced Kabul to tread a delicate diplomatic line. Karzai has sought to improve relations with Iran while not antagonizing the United States. The goodwill of both countries is critical to Afghanistan's stabilization aspirations.

Accordingly, Karzai has staked out a neutral stance as US-Iranian tension has escalated in recent months. [For background information see the EurasiaNet Q&A archives]. During his February visit to Tehran, Karzai emphasized that the Bush Administration's characterization of Iran as being in the "axis of evil" would not influence the Kabul-Tehran relationship. "The Kabul government has no problem of any sort with Tehran, and we hope to see the development of our bilateral relations." Karzai said.

The mandate for Karzai's interim administration will expire with the opening of the Loya Jirga. Many observers expect Karzai to retain some sort of leadership role in the transitional government that is formed by the Loya Jirga. But the Khatami visit will help Karzai burnish his image and boost the chances that he will remain on as the head of government.

Khatami's visit also has important implications for domestic politics in Iran, where the president is locked in a prolonged power struggle with religious conservatives. Warm Afghan-Iranian relations could provide new political openings for reformers.

For example, an Iranian journalist recently released from jail said reform advocates are seriously considering the possibility of establishing newspapers in Afghanistan in order to circumvent censorship and persecution by hardliners in Iran. Iranian newspapers published in Afghanistan would then be shipped back to Iran, according to the plan under consideration. Afghan legislation gives mass media freedom to publicize different points of view without the threat of government retribution. "Afghanistan is much better than Tehran. At least they don