From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Oct 05 2000 - 09:20:05 EDT
Taleban envoy in Pakistan on talks with Uzbek ambassador
Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 4th October
[Presenter] The Taleban envoy in Pakistan has said that at the talks with
the Uzbek ambassador in Islamabad the two sides discussed issues of
removing the existing differences between the Taleban and Uzbekistan and
stressed the need to establish bilateral relations. Mr Razawi reports on
this from Islamabad, Pakistan.
[Razawi] The Taleban ambassador to Pakistan said that he had had a meeting
with the Uzbek ambassador to discuss all the differences between the two
countries.
About the meeting with his Uzbek counterpart, the Taleban ambassador, Mola
Abdol Salam Zaif, said: We had talks in order to remove differences between
us and establish bilateral relations, as Uzbekistan no longer considers the
Taleban a threat.
About the presence of Uzbek rebels on Taleban territory he said: The Uzbek
side did not touch upon this subject, however we proposed to Uzbekistan to
hold talks with the Taleban authorities on this subject if they had any
complaints.
He added that the Taleban had asked the Uzbek side to reopen the
Uzbek-Afghan border, but this country did not yet responded to the Taleban
request.
The Taleban ambassador said that reopening of the Afghan-Uzbek border would
improve relations between the two countries.
Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Dari 1330 gmt 04
Oct 00
BBC Mon CAU 041000/** bb/as
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