Russia-Afghanistan: Aftermath Of Destruction Of Historic Buddhist Statues

Record ID: 4266

  • Title: Russia-Afghanistan: Aftermath Of Destruction Of Historic Buddhist Statues
  • Date: 15th March 2001
  • Summary: Iranian president Mohammad Khatami has said that the Taliban's destruction of historic Buddhist statues in Afghanistan is "a pity" and an act "against culture. " The Iranian President made his first direct comment about the statues as he arrived on a visit to the central Russian town of Kazan. The Taliban, a purist Muslim movement, announced on March 14, 2001 that it had completely destroyed two ancient statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan. The Taliban said that the statues had to be destroyed because they were un-Islamic. Their action was condemned by the international community and by many Muslim nations. Khatami said it was unfortunate that the act was carried out in the name of Islam. Khatami, a leading voice for moderate policies in Iran, called for more political tolerance in a keynote parliamentary speech before he left for his visit to Russia. Khatami's cultural and political reforms have been all but overturned in a conservative backlash. The president remains popular but signs of public frustration are growing and Khatami told Reuters upon arrival in Kazan that he had not decided if he would stand again for president. Iran has tense relations with the Taliban that controls 90 percent of Afghanistan legitimate Afghan leader.
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  • Location: RUSSIA CIS TATARSTAN KAZAN
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012F85GSB
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
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  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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