JOHANNESBURG -- Head of Iran's Department of the Environment (DOE), Masoumeh Ebtekar, said here Wednesday that Iran is ready to look into Afghan environmental problems as a result of war and drought in the country through the helm of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), IRNA reported.

Ebtekar, in a meeting with the Deputy Head of the Afghan transitional government, Hedayat Asali, on the sidelines of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) also stressed the need for the Hirmand River inside Afghanistan.

She said the DOE is ready to train Afghan personnel and to transfer its expertise in the field of environment protection to Afghanistan.

Asali also highlighted the international communities' contribution to the protection of the environment in Afghanistan.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development, which opened on August 26, wrapped up Wednesday.