The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > International > NATO

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-26-2009, 04:06 PM
David's Avatar
David David is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Aug 2001
Posts: 46,798
Distinctions
Special Projects VOM Staff Contributor 
Default Iran, NATO in first talks in 30 years

AP


BRUSSELS (AFP) – Iran and NATO have held their first talks since the Iranian revolution 30 years ago, officials at the military alliance said Thursday, in a new sign of a thaw in Tehran's ties with the West.

At allied headquarters in Brussels last week, an Iranian diplomat and a senior NATO official had an "informal contact" focused on Iran's neighbour Afghanistan, where the alliance is battling a stiff Taliban-led insurgency.

"The diplomat met with Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann," chief NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.

"It was a first informal contact about the subject of Afghanistan," he said, adding: "We have not yet programmed a second meeting."

A NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitive nature of the talks, said the visit by the diplomat, who was not identified, was the first "since the regime of the Shah" of Iran, which collapsed in 1979.

He noted that "the Iranians are interested in possible cooperation on Afghanistan" to better confront the problems posed by opium production there and an influx of Afghan refugees across their border.

A second NATO official said: "There were exploratory contacts recently. Nothing of substance was discussed. It was a first informal contact between an Iranian diplomat and a representative of the secretary general."

Earlier Thursday, Iran confirmed that it would attend a major international meeting on Afghanistan in The Hague in the Netherlands next week.

The meeting on Tuesday comes as the United States undertakes a vast review of its strategy in Afghanistan, expected to be made public in coming days, and amid new efforts by Washington to reach out to Tehran.

The review puts all of Afghanistan's neighbours, notably Pakistan, at the heart of a solution to choke off the Taliban-led insurgency, which has dented NATO's efforts to spread democracy and foster reconstruction.

"The fact that Iran has accepted to go to the conference in The Hague is good news and constitutes a new step in the regionalisation of the Afghan issue," Appathurai said.

Iran has close ethnic and religious ties with Afghanistan, but the Islamic republic has suffered badly from the effects of surging opium production, with cheap and readily available heroin fuelling a sharp rise in drug use.

A spokesman at the Iranian embassy in Brussels declined to comment immediately on the visit last week.

In a video message to Iranian leaders marking the Persian New Year, US President Barack Obama called for a "new beginning" in ties between Washington and Tehran.

They have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Yet both share an interest in restoring stability to Afghanistan, where a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban regime in late 2001 for harbouring Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Obama has given the conflict top foreign policy priority since coming to power, above the war in Iraq which divided NATO allies.

The Hague conference is officially being co-hosted by Afghanistan, the United Nations and the Dutch government. It will be opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

About 80 countries and 20 organisations and observers have been invited.
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
NATO cautions Pakistan over talks with Taliban David Enduring Freedom 0 02-17-2009 10:40 AM
NATO chief: Russia can't block Georgia from NATO David NATO 1 09-16-2008 12:39 PM
Iran suspends talks with US on security in Iraq David Iraqi Freedom 0 05-05-2008 06:11 AM
Do We Really Need NATO.............. thedrifter NATO 3 02-12-2008 10:20 AM
SLANDERING NOT SPYING....Re: Cyber dissident sentenced to seven years in jail, three years house arrest after criticizing Vietnamese government EL CHINO BOATMEN'S CONSCIENCE General 6 01-04-2004 02:11 AM

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:03 AM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.