UNITED STATED
Iran took part for the first time on Monday in talks with the international contact group on Afghanistan that set "sufficient stability" and basic human rights as the most realistic aims for the war-torn nation.The meeting in Rome, which brought together envoys from 46 countries, included also for the first time a representative of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) -- the main voice of the Muslim world.
"We consider these very significant developments," Richard Holbrooke, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, told reporters.
"It's another indication that the international effort to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan... is not a clash of civilizations at all," he said.
"We recognise that Iran... has a role to play in the peaceful settlement of the situation in Afghanistan," he said.
Italy's special representative to Afghanistan, Massimo Iannucci, said: "Iran is too important to be excluded."
Iannnucci said there were "common interests" with Iran including the issues of drug trafficking and illegal immigration across the Iranian-Afghan border.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier this year said that only regional powers could bring peace to Afghanistan.
But at Monday's talks, diplomats emphasised an international approach.
"It's the whole international community that is working here," said Michael Steiner, Germany's special envoy, who chaired the discussions in Rome.
Steiner said that the talks were aimed at moving towards "a realistic aim, which is sufficient stability for Afghanistan and essential human rights."
The diplomats also looked ahead to a NATO summit in Lisbon next month, which they said would give general outlines of the process of handing over control of Afghan territory to local security forces starting next year.
But they stressed that no precise list of the provinces to be handed over would be provided and that the deadline for the handover by 2014 did not mean that international troops would withdraw by that time.
"What we expect from Lisbon is a kickstart for next year starting this transition process," Steiner said.
"This is not the withdrawal of troops. These are two different things. It's the precondition for the withdrawal," he added.
Holbrooke also dismissed criticism of discussions between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents.
"There is room in Afghanistan for anyone who wants to be reconciled," Holbrooke said, referring to insurgents laying down their arms.
"That's not defeat. We've always said we're not going to win this war by military means," he said.
(AFP).
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