Iran summons Afghan ambassador over 'violation'

Updated: 2011-12-11 10:16

(Xinhua)

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TEHRAN - Iran's foreign ministry on Saturday summoned Afghan Ambassador to Tehran Abidollah Abid, as part of the protest against the recent violation of Iran's airspace by a US spy drone, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran's TV on Thursday showed the footage of a US spy drone brought down earlier by Iranian troops in the eastern region bordering Afghanistan.

Condemning the airspace violation, the Iranian foreign ministry drew the attention of the Afghan government to its responsibility toward the principle of good neighborliness with the Islamic Republic, said IRNA's report.

The Iranian foreign ministry also called for immediate explanations from the Afghan government concerning the issue and urged the country to spare no efforts to prevent recurrence of such events.

The Afghan ambassador, for his part, expressed regret over the incident, and said that relevant Afghan officials will pursue the case at the earliest opportunity, according to IRNA.

On Saturday, Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri, a senior official of Iran's Joint Chief of Staff, said that Washington should speedily apologize for what he called "illegally violating Iran's airspace," after Tehran on Thursday has urged the United Nations to condemn the violation of its air space by the US drone.