ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Rabbani seeks Indian support to oust Taliban

Deposed Afghanistan President Burhanuddin Rabbani asked Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to help dislodge the Taliban regime from Kabul, pointing out that it was aiding terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Rabbani, who called on Vajpayee in Durban, South Africa, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit, told him that the war-torn country was being used as a base for launching terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the world.

The Indian prime minister assured full diplomatic, moral and political support to Rabbani, who heads the opposition alliance against the Taliban. Rabbani also won a small victory when NAM refused to recognise the Taliban regime and allowed him to represent Afghanistan at the summit.

The Afghan leader also disputed the Taliban's claim that they controlled the entire country and said their influence was limited to the cities and towns, while the entire countryside was opposed to them.

Rabbani also circulated at the NAM meeting a detailed report on Pakistan's interference in the internal affairs of the country. He accused the Pakistan military of being directly involved in the operations against the alliance forces in Mazar-e-Sharif.

The Indian prime minister also held wide ranging talks with Cuban President Fidel Castro, Columbian President Andres Pastran Arango and the foreign minister of Morocco on the sidelines of the summit. Vajpayee is also scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report