For the first time, Iran on Monday has sent a representative to a meeting of the international group that holds regularly talks on developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Iranian participation was welcomed by both American and international officials, western media reports.
The New York Times reports that Mohammed Ali Qanezadeh, the Iranian delegate, attended an in-depth briefing on Monday morning by the American military commander, General David H. Petraeus, on NATO’s strategy for transition in Afghanistan.
Richard Holbrooke, the American delegate to the conference, said that Iran had serious concerns about drug trafficking and immigration from Afghanistan and stressed that the representative was there only to discuss that country. He said other issues between the United States and Iran, including friction over Iran’s nuclear program, would not be on the table, the New York Times reports.
It was the ninth meeting of the international group. The group was formed in April 2009 and now includes 44 countries.
