Jerusalem Post - 06.05.2002

 

The Jerusalem Post

Sharansky, Afghan Leader Confer in Kazakhstan

By Herb Keinon

Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai told Housing Minister Natan Sharansky yesterday he sees eye-to-eye with Israel in its battle against terrorism, a spokeswoman for Sharansky said yesterday.

According to the spokeswoman, Karzai and Sharansky spoke for some 20 minutes on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia meeting in Kazakhstan.

Although Karzai would not hold a formal meeting with Sharansky, Sharansky did meet formally with Karzai's advisor Yaya Marufi.

Marufi told Sharansky he respects Israel's agricultural achievements, and that after the elections in Afghanistan it may be possible for two countries to hold a formal dialogue.

Sharansky addressed the gathering, which brought the leaders of some 16 Asian countries together, saying the world is no longer divided along the lines of communism and capitalism, East and West, but rather between those who recognize the sanctity of human life, and those for whom human life is nothing but "a card to be used for threats and extortion."

"Today," Sharansky said, "the world is divided between those who look for compromise and cooperation, and those for whom terror and war are acceptable and even necessary to achieve their aims."

Sharansky said the only guarantee for a more secure world is the establishment of a new democratic world order "based on the principles of mutual respect, cooperation, and a willingness to compromise on all sides."

The Iranian representative stormed out of the hall when Sharansky took the podium to speak.