'Iran not supplying Taliban with weapons'

KABUL: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has rejected US and British claims that Iranian weapons are being supplied to Taliban insurgents fighting the Afghan government.   

"I doubt seriously if there is any truth in it," Ahmadinejad said at a press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.   

"With all our force, we support the political process in Afghanistan," he said.   

Ahmadinejad said the "first impact" of Afghanistan's security was on Iran, with the two nations sharing a long border.   

"For us, a secure and stable Afghanistan is the best," he said.   

Ahmadinejad was making his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said in June there were so many weapons of Iranian origin coming into Afghanistan that it was hard to believe "it's taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian government".   

The charges have been strongly denied by Tehran, which was a staunch opponent of the Taliban movement's 1996-2001 regime. Karzai has also downplayed the claims, saying they have not been proven.   

After talks with Ahmadinejad at the presidential palace on Tuesday, Karzai told reporters that Afghanistan was close to Iran and also a friend and strategic partner of the United States.   

"If Afghanistan can bring them closer, that will be a great happiness for Afghanistan -- but it depends on both sides," said Karzai, who last week irked US President George W. Bush by calling Iran a friend of his nation.   

The United States led the invasion that drove the Taliban from power in late 2001 and supplies most of the foreign troops involved in efforts to defeat the Taliban insurgency.   

The insurgency has grown steadily, with some critics saying this was in part because the United States had shifted its attention to Iraq in 2003.   

The Taliban carry out almost daily attacks, mainly in the south and east of the country. Unrest along Afghanistan's border with Pakistan has increased this year.