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Iran to attend Afghan meet

DUBAI: Iran is sending its Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific, Mahdi Akhundzadeh, to a key conference on Afghanistan of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow on Friday.

The meeting is taking place at a time when western countries are shifting their focus from Iraq to Afghanistan. The SCO conference is being held ahead of the March 31 meeting on Afghanistan in The Hague, under the initiative of the United States. India, which has an observer status in the SCO, is participating in both the meetings.

Analysts point out that Iran, India and Russia had closely worked together in 2001, and had played a significant role in the exit of the Taliban from Kabul then.

According to the Islamic Republic New Agency (IRNA), United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and senior officials from the U.S., the European Union, NATO and other international organisations will participate in the conference.

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