Iran urges UN assistance to resolve crisis in Tajikistan

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, has appealed to the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for his help in resolving the stalemate in the peace process in Tajikistan.

In a letter to Mr Annan quoted by the official Iranian news agency IRNA, Mr Kharrazi said Iran was concerned over the slow pace of the implementation of the June peace agreement in Tajikistan and hoped the United Nations would compel both the opposition and the government to respect their commitments.

Last week, the Islamic opposition in Dushanbe suspended its participation in the National Reconciliation Commission, complaining that its demands had not been met.

Mr Kharrazi has also sent similiar letters asking for their help to his counterparts in Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, as well as to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and the OSCE -- the guarantors of the Tajik peace agreement.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service