THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Iran’s representative to an international conference on Afghanistan criticized President Barack Obama’s plan to boost U.S. troops in Afghanistan but said Iran is “fully prepared” to participate in reconstruction projects and efforts to halt drug trafficking.
“The people of Afghanistan know their country better than anybody else does,” Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh said, speaking in English on Tuesday morning before a group of diplomats that included Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “The presence of foreign forces has not improved things in the country, and it seems that an increase in the number of foreign forces will prove ineffective too.”
In a cautious first step toward unlocking 30 years of tense relations, senior U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke had a brief but cordial meeting with Akhundzadeh, the first official face-to-face interplay between the Obama administration and the Iranian regime. Clinton cautioned that the talks between Holbrooke and Akhundzadeh were promising but not “substantive.”
“They agreed to stay in touch,” Clinton said.
More than 70,000 U.S. and NATO troops are in Afghanistan battling the radical Islamic Taliban movement. Obama has ordered 17,000 extra troops to Afghanistan to tackle violence ahead of August elections and is sending an additional 4,000 to help train the army.
On narcotics, Akhundzadeh called for “coordinated measures” and “strengthening regional cooperation” on border security to deal with the problem.
Clinton said the United States delivered a letter to Iran during the conference requesting humanitarian help for three Americans in Iran.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
