Iran and Pakistan have agreed to bury past differences over Afghanistan and work for the reconstruction of their war-ravaged neighbor.
After two days of talks in Islamabad, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told a joint news conference that the defeat of the Taleban had opened the way to a new relationship between their two countries.
They said their countries had agreed to cooperate in the establishment of a broad-based multi-ethnic government in Afghanistan.
Iran and Pakistan have long differed in their approach to the Afghan conflict, with Pakistan backing the Taleban and Iran supporting the Northern Alliance, though Mr. Sattar told reporters that Pakistan's support of the Taleban had been exaggerated by the media.
Mr. Kharrazi reiterated his country's opposition to the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan but said United Nations observers would be acceptable to Iran.
Mr. Sattar said Pakistan will wait for the outcome of the U-N sponsored conference on Afghanistan in Bonn before making up its mind on the question of foreign troops.