s support against terrorists

? Afghanistan’s interim leader praised Iran in a speech to its parliament on Monday, saying it had stood by Afghans in their struggle against Soviet occupation and terrorists.

“We will never forget your support of the Afghan nation’s struggle against the former Soviet Union and later against terrorists,” Hamid Karzai said in a speech to the Iranian Majlis, or parliament.

Speaking in Persian, Iran’s official language and the language spoken in neighboring western and central Afghanistan, Karzai said the two countries share “a common culture and language and these bonds have made our friendship eternal.”

Karzai, whose speech was broadcast live on Tehran the state-run radio, also praised Iran for taking in some 2 million Afghan refugees over the years.

“You have shared our sorrows and pains and millions of our refugees have been a big burden on your shoulders,” he said amid applause from legislators.

The United States has repeatedly accused Iran of trying to destabilize its eastern neighbor, a charge denied by Tehran. And in his Jan. 29 State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush labeled Iran, Iraq and North Korea part of an “axis of evil” that sought weapons of mass destruction and struck alliances with terrorists.

Karzai was sitting next to Bush in Washington during the State of the Union address and was applauded by members of the U.S. Congress, much as he was warmly welcomed Monday by members of the Iranian Majlis.

Prior to Karzai’s speech in Tehran, the parliament speaker, Mahdi Karrubi, said Iran wanted a “free, independent and developed Afghanistan without foreign interference.”

Karzai, who has received a red-carpet welcome on his three-day visit, called upon the United States and Iran on Sunday to put aside their differences and cooperate in the reconstruction of his country.

Karzai arrived in Tehran on Sunday with 10 Cabinet ministers and other officials to discuss improving bilateral ties and returning Afghan refugees.

Iran has pledged over dlrs 500 million over five years for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. In his talks with Karrubi, Karzai welcomed Iran’s contribution to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Earlier on Monday, Karzai laid flowers at the shrine of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the father of Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution.