Afghan northern official says relations with centre good - Iranian radio.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

The head of the foreign affairs department of northern Balkh Province has said the fighting in the north was mainly between local armed groups. Sayd Nurollah said the two main military chiefs in the north, Gen Dostum and Ustad Atta Mohammad, had talks and a commission was set up to oversee disarmament in the areas of the fighting. He went on to say that the relations between the central government and Balkh Province's military officials were "good and solid". The following is text of the interview broadcast by Iranian Mashhad radio at 1330 gmt on 28 October; subheadings inserted editorially:

[Presenter] Yesterday, at a meeting with a delegation from Kabul, Mr Gen Dostum and Ustad Atta Mohammad emphasized their principle position - to …