TEHRAN, Jan 26: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan looked on Saturday to secure support from Iran for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, but avoided direct comment on allegations Iran has been arming Afghan warlords, a potential threat to the fragile interim government in Kabul.

Annan, speaking at a press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, praised Iran’s “great support to the (Afghan) population,” especially its 560 million dollar donation to the country after the Taliban’s collapse.

He also praised Iran’s absorption of two million Afghan refuges over the last three decades of Afghan strife.

But asked whether Iran was funnelling arms to warlords in eastern Afghanistan, Annan said only: “We have no independent information.”

For his part, Kharazi denied the arms charges and declared his country was cooperating “with the Afghan central interim government for the reconstruction and stabilisation of all Afghanistan.”

After a meeting with Annan later on Saturday, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami echoed his minister’s declaration.

“Iran benefits from security and stability in Afghanistan and for this reason strengthening the interim government is a duty for us,” he was quoted as saying by radio.

He added “all parties should contribute to restoring peace in Afghanistan.”

Kharazi also reiterated Iran’s refusal to participate in the limited international peacekeeping forces now being deployed in Afghanistan.

The backing of Iran is judged crucial to the chances of success for the new Afghan government.

Annan, who made a triumphant visit to Kabul this week and attended a UN conference in Tokyo that raised 4.5 billion dollars for Afghanistan, issued a stern warning

Friday for neighbouring countries not to meddle in Afghan affairs.

“We have stressed that they (neighbouring countries) should not interfere in Afghanistan, that they should not repeat the errors of the past ... and I hope that is what will happen,” Annan said on his stop in Kabul, the first visit to Afghanistan by a UN secretary general since 1959.

On Thursday, a senior UN envoy said there was no concrete evidence to support claims that Iran is arming factions within Afghanistan in a bid to destabilise the country.

Francesc Vendrell, UN deputy special envoy to Afghanistan, said he believed the claims were “exaggerated.”

“I don’t have any concrete evidence of Iranian involvement, and certainly no concrete evidence that this involvement is masterminded in Iran by the Iranian government,” he said.

Looking to the Middle East, Annan appealed for “collective international action” to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.

“The situation in Palestine is tragic. We are, all the world leaders, we are all concerned. Collective international action to bring the parties to the table is needed,” he said.

Asked about the mainly Arab accusations against the Bush administration that it is offering one-sided support for Israel in the conflict, Annan said: “I only know that they (the US) have asked Chairman Arafat to do more to fight terrorist attacks”.—AFP