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Straw, here on a one day stay, hoped that a forthcoming UN-sponsored meeting on Afghanistan in Germany would lead to "fundamental steps" toward the formation of a coalition government in Afghanistan. The British secretary highlighted Iran's "key role" in the Afghan developments and called for constant exchange of views between Tehran and London on regional and international issues. He said the Islamic Republic's experiences on Afghanistan are invaluable to the world community. He also called on world countries to contribute to the the reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan and dispatch their humanitarian aid to Afghan refugees. Kharrazi, for his part, said that "the administration of Afghanistan should be put at the hands of its people". He said a continued presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan will only complicate the existing crisis and will lead to Afghans' opposition. The Iranian foreign minister also called for the establishment of a provisional administrative council, representing all Afghan groups according to their population, saying precipitated action in this respect will help the state of affairs to be put at the hands of the Afghan people. Kharrazi further called for the establishment of special Afghan police with the help of citizens. He added the anti-Taliban United Front is able to create security and order in Kabul, following the city's liberation. "Imposing certain figures (as the head of the future Afghan government) will only complicate the existing situation further and lead to differences among Afghan groups," Kharrazi said, in an apparent reference to the West's mooting of former monarch Mohammad Zahir. "Currently, all efforts should focus on sketching out the future Afghan structure," he added. Straw arrived in Tehran on Thursday morning to discuss political future of Afghanistan with high ranking Iranian officials, including his Iranian counterpart as well as the head of Iran's special parliamentary commission on Afghanistan, Hadi Khamenei. Earlier, the British minister met with the Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah who was on a trip to Iran.
Straw and Kharrazi last met on November 14 at United Nations headquarters in New York. This is Straw's second trip to Tehran in less than two months. He came here on September 25 for a one-day visit, the first ever by a British foreign secretary, since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
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