Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi speaking in Tehran on Wednesday said the recent visit to Tehran of the three European foreign ministers has paved the way for further expansion of cooperation between Iran and the European states, IRNA reported.

In a meeting with former German President Richard Von Weizsacker he reiterated that the Islamic Republic has played a constructive role in regional crises including Afghanistan, Iraq and Tajikistan.

Criticizing the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, Kharrazi said the US move has promoted extremism in the region.

On Iran's signing the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he stressed that Iran's national pride and security should be respected in that regard. Iran is still interested in development of its peaceful nuclear technology, he added.

The Iranian foreign minister further urged the occupying forces in Iraq to leave the country as soon as possible and let the Iraqi people determine their own country's fate.

For his part, the German official criticized Washington's biased diplomacy and said such US anti-terrorism policies are not acceptable to Germany. Washington, under the pretext of war against terrorism, attacks other countries, he regretted.

As to recent visit to Tehran of the German, French and British foreign ministers, he expressed the hope that Europe would play a more active role in the Mideast developments with the help of Iran. The agreements reached between Iran and the European states have paved the way for promotion of Iran-EU economic relations, he added.