BRUSSELS, Feb 22: Just back from Tehran where he was sent as the European Union’s special representative for Afghanistan, Klaus-Peter Kleiber has let it be known that he is now convinced that accusations made against Iran by George W. Bush are completely baseless.

Moreover, says Mr Kleiber, his meetings with Iranian governmental officials of all political stripes now make him certain that any credible and durable reconstruction of Afghanistan cannot take place without the active support of Iran. Without their support, he says, “the reconstruction of Afghanistan will end up a failure.”

The EU’s special representative for Afghanistan went so far as urge Iranian leaders with whom he met to continue what he characterized as their “constructive approach” and noted that rumours recently circulated by Washington according to which Tehran had been secretly supporting preparations by Afghan warlords to overthrow the provisional government of Hamid Karzai, were nothing but hogwash.

Mr Kleiber took particular aim at a Washington Times story datelined Tuesday (Feb. 19) according to which Iran had already infiltrated into Afghanistan “several dozen spies” to destabilize Mr Karzai and his government, indeed, said the daily, citing US governmental sources, had also sent to Mazar-i-Sharif “200 or 300 elite troops,” trained in Lebanon, ostensibly by the Hezbollah, whose job it would be to prevent the return to Kabul of King Zaher Shah.

“There’s no truth to the story,” says Mr Kleiber, who attempted to elucidate the matter with Iranian authorities.