Are we seeing a shift or is this diplomatic fencing? Iran is struggling to appear ‘reasonable’ in its opposition to the US in the face of repeated overtures by the US, both public and diplomatic.
Iran Signals Willingness to Join U.S. in Fight Against Afghan Drug Trade - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com
In a significant move, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, while criticizing U.S. plans to send more troops into Afghanistan, said Iran is “fully prepared” to help fight the drug trade in Afghanistan – a campaign the U.S. wants to escalate.
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Iran’s Mehdi Akhundzadeh also met with Richard Holbrooke, Clinton’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the sidelines of the conference, held at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Holbrooke’s meeting “did not focus on anything substantive. It was cordial, it was unplanned and they agreed to stay in touch,” Clinton told reporters as the day-long conference was winding down.
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“Iran is fully prepared to participate in the projects aimed at combating drug trafficking and the plans in line with developing and reconstructing Afghanistan,” Akhundzadeh said.
However, Iran was critical of President Obama’s plan to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, saying those funds instead should be redirected to building Afghanistan’s own forces.
“The presence of foreign forces has not improved things in the country, and it seems than an increase in the number of foreign forces will prove ineffective, too,” Akhundzadeh said.
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And the Holbrooke-Akhundzadeh meeting was foreshadowed by a handshake at the conference between another state department official, Patrick Moon, and the Iran deputy foreign minister.