Iran: All-inclusive national talks only lasting solution to Afghan conflict

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry says all-inclusive intra-Afghan talks are the only sustainable solution to restore stability and peace to the war-ravaged country.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran believes that stability would be ensured in Afghanistan if all groups can play a role in the country.

Pointing to the current visit by a high-ranking Taliban delegation to Tehran, he said talks will be held on ways to promote lasting peace in Afghanistan.

“We have made a huge investment for Afghanistan’s peace and hosted millions of Afghans over the past decades,” the Iranian spokesperson said.

He expressed hope that stability would be established in Afghanistan, and that the neighboring country’s people would have peaceful coexistence regardless of religious and ethnic issues.

Khatibzadeh further said Iran’s stance on Afghanistan has always been independent from that of the United States, no matter who is at the helm in the White House.

“The US has no option but to end years of interference and aggression in Afghanistan and reduce the sufferings it has inflicted on regional nations through its responsible withdrawal,” he added.

A high-ranking Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s top political leader, arrived in Tehran on Tuesday at the invitation of the Iranian Foreign Ministry for talks on the Afghan peace process and relevant topics.

Taliban delegation arrives in Tehran for talks on Afghan peace with top Iranian officials

A high-ranking Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s top political leader, is in Iran for talks on the Afghan peace process.

Iran strongly supports the realization of peace and stability in neighboring Afghanistan, which has been embroiled in decades of militancy fueled by foreign military intervention.

Accordingly, the Islamic Republic has been closely following the peace negotiations underway since last September between the Afghan government and the Taliban in the Qatari capital Doha.

Afghanistan has been the scene of rampant violence since 2001, when the US ad its allies invaded the country under the banner of fighting “terrorism.”

The invasion toppled the Taliban, but the group has never stopped its attacks, citing the foreign military presence as one of the main reasons behind its continued militancy.

‘Improvement of Iran-Saudi ties can allay certain concerns’

Elsewhere in his address to reporters, Khatibzadeh said Iran has always welcomed political breakthroughs in ties with different countries, including Saudi Arabia and added, “As soon as they [Saudis] correct their wrong policies and change course, our arms will be open to Riyadh for negotiations.”

He said the resumption of Tehran-Riyadh ties could serve as a good prelude to allaying certain concerns.

He slammed Saudi Arabia and its allies for keeping up attacks on Yemen, adding, “The Yemeni people have been subjected to the most severe pressure and economic blockade and in addition to Riyadh, other countries are also continuing their acts of aggression against this nation.”

As soon as these governments stop treading the wrong path and correct their approach, they will see that regional nations stand ready to embrace them, he added.

In an interview with Al Arabiya TV channel, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said Riyadh stands ready for rapprochement with Iran, but claimed that the Islamic Republic does not commit itself to de-escalating tensions.

This is while Tehran has on numerous occasions announced its readiness to hold talks with Saudi Arabia and its other neighbors directly. It has already put forward an initiative called the Hormuz Peace Endeavor (HOPE) to promote security in the Persian Gulf and facilitate such neighborly negotiations.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in January 2016 following angry protests outside its embassy in Tehran over Riyadh’s execution of a prominent cleric. Ever since, the country has followed a hostile policy which intensified in line with former US president Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” on Tehran.

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