Tehran, June 30: Iran's foreign minister today spelled out the determination of the Islamic republic to fight al-Qaeda, but refused to confirm or deny indications the country has detained and is preparing to extradite high-ranking members of the network. "We have a clear position. We have been fighting terrorists, no matter what groups they come from. It doesn't make any difference to us which group they belong to", Kamal Kharazi said during a joint press conference with visiting British foreign secretary Jack Straw. "After the tragic events of September 11, Iran quickly condemned those acts. We have captured hundreds of al-Qaeda members and sympathisers, and some of them now are in our custody", he said. "As for who they are and how many there are, we cannot talk about this publicly. But we have a firm resolve and are committed to our obligations", he said.

Bureau Report