Iran to consider US offer on Afghan meeting
Sunday, 8 March 2009
TEHRAN, Mar 7 (Reuters): Iran said Saturday it would consider an invitation from its old foe the United States to attend a meeting on Afghanistan and it was ready to offer any help to its neighbour as it battles a Taliban insurgency.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that President Barrack Obama's government intended to invite Iran to an international conference on Afghanistan planned for this month.
"If America and European countries and others need to use Iran, they should give us (the request). We will review it with the approach that we are ready to offer any help to Afghanistan," Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a news conference.
The United States is at odds with Iran on a range of issues, including Tehran's nuclear programme which Washington says is aimed at building bombs. Iran says its programme is for peaceful power purposes.
Obama, in a turnaround from Bush administration policy, has said the United States wants to engage Iran and the Afghanistan invitation would be the start of diplomatic initiative to Tehran.
While Iran and the United States sat at the same table to discuss Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Bush administration made sure the new pro-Western Afghan government kept Tehran at arm's length.
Elham stressed that Iran's priority was to help Afghanistan.
"For us Afghanistan is very important. Afghanistan's security is our security. Afghanistan's progress is our progress and Afghanistan's stability is ours," Elham said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that President Barrack Obama's government intended to invite Iran to an international conference on Afghanistan planned for this month.
"If America and European countries and others need to use Iran, they should give us (the request). We will review it with the approach that we are ready to offer any help to Afghanistan," Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told a news conference.
The United States is at odds with Iran on a range of issues, including Tehran's nuclear programme which Washington says is aimed at building bombs. Iran says its programme is for peaceful power purposes.
Obama, in a turnaround from Bush administration policy, has said the United States wants to engage Iran and the Afghanistan invitation would be the start of diplomatic initiative to Tehran.
While Iran and the United States sat at the same table to discuss Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Bush administration made sure the new pro-Western Afghan government kept Tehran at arm's length.
Elham stressed that Iran's priority was to help Afghanistan.
"For us Afghanistan is very important. Afghanistan's security is our security. Afghanistan's progress is our progress and Afghanistan's stability is ours," Elham said.