16-10-2005 - 13:29 GMT
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai would recognize Israel just after an independent Palestinian state is established, his spokesman said on Sunday.
According to Reuters, the Afghan leader made this comment during an interview with visiting Israeli journalists in Kabul earlier this month, spokesman Karim Rahimi said. “We will establish relations with Israel after our Palestinian brothers have an independent and free state,” Rahimi quoted the president as saying.
On Saturday, the Pakistani Daily Times reported that "Afghanistan will announce it is officially recognizing Israel in the next few days," quoting Afghan diplomatic sources. Israeli officials confirmed the report on Sunday, saying that they "were not surprised," Ynet reported.
© 2005 Al Bawaba
