Interview with Afghan Ambassador Ahmad Mushahid

With over 900 km of shared border, Iran has always played a significant political, economic and cultural role in Afghanistan. Indeed, the recent visit of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami to the Afghan capital, Kabul, underscores the importance Iran attaches to bilateral relations and its efforts to renew this tradition. For its part, Iran has already pledged approximately US $560 million dollars in assistance to Kabul, thereby making it a major player in the rebuilding of the country. In an interview with IRIN, the Afghan ambassador to Iran, Ahmad Mushahid, described such initiatives as positive, but expressed caution over current efforts to repatriate hundreds thousands of his countrymen. He called for greater assistance from the international community, and was particularly concerned over the recent and yet to be resolved issue of undocumented refugees in Iran, as well as over reports of thousands of Afghans recently having being deported by Iranian authorities. QUESTION: How would you describe the current state of relations between Iran and your country? ANSWER: To say there are differences between countries is a natural thing. However, relations between our two countries, especially after the jihad period, are very good and developing more. The relations in my view are positive. Q: Since April, almost 200,000 Afghans have returned to their homeland from Iran. How do you see the situation at the moment? A: At this point, the situation is quite natural and good. We hope the process goes according to our agreements and even better than that. In light of the recent statement by the government regarding the status of undocumented refugees, the process could go even faster. Q: Regarding the government-imposed 27 August deadline for all undocumented refugees to report and leave the country, how do you view this? A: Given the tripartite agreement between Iran, Afghanistan and the United Nations, there was no mention made regarding documented and undocumented refugees. That being the case, these kinds of deadlines are a deviation from the original agreement, and naturally will create an atmosphere of tension for refugees living here. When the government issues such statements, there is a greater possibility that some lower-ranking members of the police force might misinterpret them and fail to take the necessary care of even the documented refugees. This undoubtedly creates a bit of mental tension for the Afghan refugees here in Iran. Q: As a result of this deadline, as well as this tension, do you feel there will be greater pressure on Afghans to leave the country? A: According to the information I am receiving... there is certainly some pressure. I myself am concerned about this. Q: There have been reports of some Afghans actually being deported from Iran. Can you confirm that? A: With regard to this recent deadline, each time such decrees are announced, some refugees are arrested. This is problematic, as it does not come under the terms of our agreement with the Iranian government. We cannot tell you the actual number of individuals deported. However, I can say that each time there is such a deadline, between 10,000 and 20,000 refugees are deported from Iran... Q: What are the main reasons hindering their return? A: We can divide the reasons into two categories - conditions in Iran and conditions in Afghanistan. Regarding the reasons inside Iran, there are many reasons hindering their return. For example, in Iran, many Afghans are tied to their leaseholds by their landlords, depositing large sums of money which the owners are not ready to return. Then there are those Afghans who are commercially involved in business with Iranian citizens and have yet to settle their affairs. Additionally, there are some Afghans who are being held in Iranian prisons for various charges, making the family reluctant to leave. As many of the Afghans in Iran have been here up to 20 years, the government has yet to establish any kind of mechanism to resolve such issues or problems affecting refugees here. Meanwhile, inside Afghanistan, many of these same people's homes, gardens and businesses lie destroyed due to neglect or war. Keep in mind that during the Taliban regime, more than 100,000 homes were deliberately destroyed. We have repeatedly told the world community and the United Nations that if you want to return the Afghan refugees to their homes, there must be at least some job opportunities or sustainable welfare to live [on]. This in fact is the main concern of Afghans returning to their country. Q: How important a role does Iran play in Afghanistan today? What sort of role should it play? A: With regard to Iran, the expectation of the Afghan nation is that in this new stage of our country's history, they have a very brotherly and friendly role. We hope for strong assistance and cooperation from Iran in the rebuilding of our country. Q: What are the main challenges facing Iranian and Afghan relations today? A: At the moment, I don't see any significant challenges regarding relations between our two countries. If no negative issues develop, relations will only get better. Q: The Helmand river [in southwestern Afghanistan] continues to be a major political obstacle for better relations between your two countries. What is Afghanistan's position on this and what efforts is your government making to resolve this matter? A: The Helmand river is not a problem or obstacle between Iran and Afghanistan. In fact, during the reign of King [Mohammad] Zahir Shah, we had some agreements regarding this river, for its usage by the Iranian government. However, what has happened now is a natural disaster. Perhaps you know, over the past five years, the region has been deeply affected by drought... Even inside the country, this river cannot meet the needs of the people in Afghanistan's Nimruz Province [in the southwest, bordering on Iran]. In fact, Nimruz is now taking its drinking water from Iran as the Helmand river is dry. [However,] when Iranian President Khatami came to Afghanistan, we had an agreement that a delegation would study the problem, and in accordance to the agreement between our two countries earlier, a solution would be found if there was any water. As far as I'm informed, there are no dams hindering the movement of water down the river. In fact, I can tell you that 80 km inside Afghanistan there is no water inside this river. You must remember, over the past 20 years, we have not had the time or power to make such dams over the river. What has happened is a natural disaster and nothing more. We hope this problem will be resolved from the sky. Q: Where do you see Afghan-Iranian relations in 10 years' time? A: Given our relations before, I see relations to be even more positive in the future.