RUSSIA CONCERNED ABOUT TALIBAN DECREE ON DESTROYING CULTURAL MONUMENTS OF AFGHANISTAN








MOSCOW, MARCH 1, 2001. /FROM RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT ALEXANDER SMOTROV/. The Russian foreign ministry is concerned about the decree adopted by head of the Taliban movement mullah Mohammed Omar on the destruction of non-Islamic shrines and cultural monuments on the territory of Afghanistan.


	This can only be assessed as an attempt to destroy the cultural-historical heritage not only of the Afghani people but of the entire world civilisation.


	A spokesman for the Russian diplomatic department stressed that vandalism of the Taliban with respect to the rich spiritual heritage of the ancient Afghani land shows their obviously hostile attitude to human values and the Taliban leadership's rejection of the humanistic philosophy of the highly respected religion of Islam.