[Peace-discuss] Smoke & mirrors in Mideast

[C. G. Estabrook]

[As the US administration struggles, by hook or crook (and of course by mass 
murder), to maintain their control over Mideast energy resources, some funny 
reversals take place -- like that below.  We should continue to demand "US 
Troops Out of the Mideast" and "End Prohibition": the war on drugs is a 
propaganda cover for the war on AfPak.]


	US: Iran has legitimate role in Afghanistan
	Wed, 12 Aug 2009 22:10:45 GMT

A senior US envoy says Iran has a 'legitimate role' to play in Afghanistan and 
that the fact cannot be ignored.

The US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said Tehran 
has a "legitimate role to play in the resolution of the Afghan issue."

"They are a factor. And to pretend that they're not, as was often done in the 
past, doesn't make much sense," Reuters quoted Holbrooke as saying on Wednesday.

"We don't have any direct contacts with them on this," he noted.

Holbrooke also stated that drug addiction is a major problem in Iran and "those 
drugs are coming across the Afghan border and it is a major concern to them."

When asked if Iran was supporting the insurgency in Afghanistan, he said, "We 
get conflicting reports on that."

Holbrooke's senior defense advisor, Vikram Singh, claimed, "Certainly the 
Iranians have in the past provided some arms to some groups inside Afghanistan. 
I do not think it has been viewed from a defense perspective as a substantial 
effort or a substantial threat."

Earlier this year, the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan had 
accused Iran of supporting the Taliban but said there was no evidence to 
indicate the introduction of sophisticated Iranian military equipment to 
Afghanistan.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=103346&sectionid=351020101