Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran offered "promising" ideas at an international meeting today on helping Afghanistan.
"The questions of border security and in particular the transit of narcotics across the border from Iran to Afghanistan is a worry that the Iranians have that we share," Clinton said.
Afghanistan is where the U.S. and Iran may take some steps toward cooperation amid tensions over Iranian support for militant groups hostile to Israel and pursuit of uranium enrichment and other processes that might lead to a nuclear weapon. Clinton said that one of her top envoys had a "cordial" encounter with the Iranian delegation.
Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, briefly met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Akhundzadeh and agreed to stay in touch, Clinton said at a press conference in The Hague.
Separately, Clinton said the U.S. delivered a letter to the Iranian government asking for a "humanitarian" gesture in the cases of a missing American and two others unable to leave Iran.
Iran was invited to the 73-nation United Nations-hosted conference on Afghanistan at the urging of the U.S.
Letter to Iran
The U.S. letter to Iran referred to three U.S. citizens: Robert Levinson, Roxana Saberi and Esha Momeni. It asked Iran to determine the whereabouts of Levinson, a retired FBI agent who went missing on an Iranian island two years ago, and ensure his "quick and safe return." It asked for the release of Saberi, a freelance reporter, and for permission for Saberi and Momeni, a graduate student from California, to travel.
Momeni was freed on bail in November after being charged with spreading propaganda. She belongs to a group that advocates for women's rights under Iranian law.
"These acts would certainly constitute a humanitarian gesture by the Islamic Republic of Iran in keeping with the spirit of renewal and generosity that marks the Persian new year," the American letter said in part.
While Iran expressed its commitment at the forum in The Hague to combating drug trafficking and aiding Afghan reconstruction, it registered disapproval with a broader American military role.
Reinforcements Criticized
Akhundzadeh criticized President Barack Obama's strategy to boost the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan in an attempt to quell the Taliban insurgency, saying "the presence of foreign forces has not improved things" in the war-ravaged nation.
Obama is sending 17,000 additional U.S. troops and 4,000 military trainers to Afghanistan. Yesterday there were calls for more European troops from the secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Akhundzadeh said Iran believes foreign military expenditures should be redirected to training the Afghan police and army.
The Obama strategy would hand more of the fighting to the Afghan military and police, which the U.S. review recommended should grow to at least 134,000 and 82,000 respectively during the next two years. NATO has appealed for $2 billion in annual financing for recruiting and training Afghan security forces.
The international community must focus on providing security and reconstruction, rather than "political or military matters," Akhundzadeh said.
Neighbor's Help
Iran, which borders Afghanistan to the west, was helpful to the U.S. in Afghanistan after the 2001 U.S.-led campaign to oust the Taliban regime from power for sheltering al-Qaeda.
Obama set the theme for engagement by promising in his inaugural address on Jan. 20 to "extend a hand" to Iran and other adversaries willing to "unclench your fist."
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, speaking to reporters, said the involvement of Afghanistan's neighbors is important. "The presence of Iran isn't by itself going to solve Afghanistan's problems, but it's better that they be involved," he said.
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said after talking with Akhoundzadeh that Iran seems to be "waiting to see what will be the attitude of the others."
"We can't accept reducing our security presence, but we can accept doing more on issues that matter to them: development, drug interdiction, fighting terrorism," Frattini said. "They are historic enemies of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. We have many interests in common."
'Major Threats'
Akhundzadeh called "terrorism and narcotics" the "major threats" to the security of Afghanistan, the region and the world. Afghanistan is a leading grower of the opium poppy that is the raw ingredient for heroin.
"Strengthening regional cooperation especially amongst the neighbors of Afghanistan on monitoring the shared borders" is crucial to "blocking the smugglers' access to consumer markets," he said.
The Iranian envoy cited his country's contributions to the reconstruction of transportation, power and telecommunications infrastructure and to technical and education services, as well as its role in hosting more than 3 million Afghan refugees.
To contact the reporters on this story: Indira A.R. Lakshmanan in The Hague at ilakshmanan@bloomberg.net;