Foreign powers are interfering in the affairs of countries like Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.<br/> <br />That's according to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who told a news conference in Pakistan that problems were coming from outside.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, SAYING:<br/> <br />"All countries of the region know very well that the roots of the problems do not lie in the region itself, these problems have been imposed on our region."<br/> <br />The Iranian president said the unnamed powers should not be allowed to dominate the region.<br/> <br />Ahmadinejad is in the Pakistani capital Islamabad to attend a meeting with Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on promoting regional stability.<br/> <br />Zardari denied charges that Pakistani agents had cooperated with the Taliban in attacking Afghanistan.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) PAKISTAN'S PRESIDENT ASIF ALI ZARDARI, SAYING:<br/> <br />"Let me first of all deny this notion that any of our armed forces are directly or indirectly involved. Yes, I cannot deny that there is a residue, there is a residue in Pakistan of the war that was fought against the Soviet Union, in the Soviet Cold War era. That residue remains."<br/> <br />Karzai meanwhile said the meeting was addressing both the opportunities and the dangers the region faces.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI, SAYING:<br/> <br />" What we need now is to formulate a policy that's actionable and implementable and actually act upon it."<br/> <br />The United States and NATO are training a 350,000 strong force to take over security in Afghanistan before a planned NATO pullout by 2014.<br/> <br />Sunita Rappai, Reuters
