KABUL, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday rejected the alleged supplying of weapons from his government to Taliban militants in neighboring Afghanistan.

    "We strongly support the political process in Afghanistan as a strong and stable Afghanistan would benefit Iran. I seriously doubt the reports that we supply weapons to militants," Ahmadinejad told a joint press conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

    U.S. officials have accused Tehran of supplying arms to Taliban insurgents, who are fighting NATO and the U.S.-led coalition troops in this post-Taliban country.

    Ahmadinejad said Iran has a long border with Afghanistan in the east, whose stability would benefit Iran and the whole region.

    As to the Afghan refugees living in Iran, the Iranian President said they enjoy equity with Iranian citizens. But he also said anyone violates Iranian laws would face legal action.

    Over the past few months, thousands of Afghan refugees have been deported from Iran as Iranian authorities accused they didn't have legal registration in the country.

    Just before the press conference, the two presidents inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for enhancing bilateral relations and boosting cooperation.

    Ahmadinejad carried out his one-day visit to this country on Tuesday, which was his first one since he became president in 2005.

    Later on the day, he would fly to Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan, where he is to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Aug. 16.

Two South Korean female hostages are escorted after their release in Arzoo of Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, August 13, 2007. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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Two S Korean hostages released in Afghanistan

    KABUL, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Two South Korean female hostages were freed in central Afghanistan by Taliban militants on Monday afternoon, the first significant development in an enduring hostage crisis, officials said.

    After a longtime ordeal in Taliban custody, the two hostages had been released and met South Korean officials in Ghazni city, the capital of Ghazni province, Shirin Mangal, provincial government spokesman, told the media.

    Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong confirmed that two hostages, who are Kim Gina, 32, and Kim Kyung-ja, 37, have been released and moved to a safe area.