Iran Must Attend the London Conference
Interview with Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian, Iran’s former ambassador to Pakistan
Foreign ministers of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan held a trilateral meeting in Islamabad on Saturday. What is your evaluation of such meetings on Afghanistan’s domestic developments?
This was part of previous agreements between the three neighboring states to boost cooperation and hold meetings on economic, diplomatic and security issues. After the May 2009 summit in Tehran, foreign ministers’ meeting could be considered as a strategic session held to design the road map for further cooperation. Clearly there is a direct relation between Tehran-Islamabad-Kabul ties and extremists’ maneuverability. If a rift appears between these countries, radicals find better opportunities for their subversive measures.
The import of trilateral meetings lies in its proximity to the international London conference. Cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, that share long borders, is a necessity. However, dialogue between these countries is obviously not enough. They have made agreements in the past which have not been realized, mostly by Pakistan and Afghanistan. They should know that this is a two-way road and needs commitment to mutual promises. Islamabad and Kabul bear a larger role in materialization of the previous agreements, especially in the security issues. Economic development fully relies on security.
Trilateral cooperation between Tehran, Kabul and Islamabad were not taken seriously before. How have the current circumstances added to their importance?
As I said, several agreements had been made in the past, yet none of them materialized. This is not the first time senior diplomats of these countries gather around one table after their leaders’ summit. Also, meetings over economic or security issues have not been held so far. The recent meeting could be just another sequel. Meanwhile, it is significant in one aspect and that is temporal proximity to the conferences on Afghanistan about to be held in Turkey, probably Russia, and most important one in London.
I hope the recent meeting leads to tangible outcomes. Pakistani officials have border responsibilities which should be fulfilled. Afghans also have responsibilities on narcotics and other issues. Experts agree that terrorism and drug trafficking are two sides of a coin. The more lucrative the narcotics market, the more powerful stamina of terrorist groups becomes.
How could the tension between Iran and Britain influence the upcoming conferences, especially the one in London?
As the members of international security become closer, chances for extremists to take advantage of the situation vanish. Tehran and London may decide to keep Afghanistan out of their own problems. Tehran has proved its strategy to be supporting development and stability for its eastern neighbor. Afghanistan’s security serves Tehran’s national interests. Tehran’s view towards Pakistan is the same. It will use its potentials to help Kabul and Islamabad establish security inside their borders. However, in general West should not expect Tehran to forgive and forget what they have done and treat Afghanistan as a separate issue.
Do you think Iran will attend the London conference at a senior diplomatic level? Would Britain show interest in Iran’s participation?
Iranian political observers have frequently reminded that absence will not serve our country’s interests. We could not express our stance if we shy away from the conference. Frankly, in foreign diplomacy you shouldn’t expect other countries to roll you red carpet. Iran’s participation is a must. Meanwhile, Afghanistan and the international community will benefit Iran’s attendance. Experience has proved that using regional potential to solve Afghanistan’s problems is a fruitful option. If these potentials are ignored, history could repeat for Afghanistan.
What is the role of recent trilateral meeting and upcoming conferences in marginalization of regional states which support extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
It depends on how relevant to reality are the decisions coming out of these meetings. If they remain as promises on paper, their reverse impacts would be much more. The international community should appreciate the determinants which help solve Afghanistan’s problem. As I said, one is the regional potential.
One of the worries about London conference decisions is that they may legitimize cooperation with extremists. Dialogue with radical religious groups has started since long ago, but a not-so-distant history reveals that such measures would only invigorate extremist groups and help them infiltrate into security and political domains.
How do you see Saudi Arabia’s role in fomenting extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
If you look back at the last decade when Taliban declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, only two Arab states, Saudi Arabia and UAE acknowledged its existence. If Saudi Arabia wants to continue its malign role in Afghanistan, things will become complicated. I hope the international community has learnt its lesson and will stop Arab countries that support extremism from interference in Afghanistan’s domestic developments.
This was part of previous agreements between the three neighboring states to boost cooperation and hold meetings on economic, diplomatic and security issues. After the May 2009 summit in Tehran, foreign ministers’ meeting could be considered as a strategic session held to design the road map for further cooperation. Clearly there is a direct relation between Tehran-Islamabad-Kabul ties and extremists’ maneuverability. If a rift appears between these countries, radicals find better opportunities for their subversive measures.
The import of trilateral meetings lies in its proximity to the international London conference. Cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, that share long borders, is a necessity. However, dialogue between these countries is obviously not enough. They have made agreements in the past which have not been realized, mostly by Pakistan and Afghanistan. They should know that this is a two-way road and needs commitment to mutual promises. Islamabad and Kabul bear a larger role in materialization of the previous agreements, especially in the security issues. Economic development fully relies on security.
Trilateral cooperation between Tehran, Kabul and Islamabad were not taken seriously before. How have the current circumstances added to their importance?
As I said, several agreements had been made in the past, yet none of them materialized. This is not the first time senior diplomats of these countries gather around one table after their leaders’ summit. Also, meetings over economic or security issues have not been held so far. The recent meeting could be just another sequel. Meanwhile, it is significant in one aspect and that is temporal proximity to the conferences on Afghanistan about to be held in Turkey, probably Russia, and most important one in London.
I hope the recent meeting leads to tangible outcomes. Pakistani officials have border responsibilities which should be fulfilled. Afghans also have responsibilities on narcotics and other issues. Experts agree that terrorism and drug trafficking are two sides of a coin. The more lucrative the narcotics market, the more powerful stamina of terrorist groups becomes.
How could the tension between Iran and Britain influence the upcoming conferences, especially the one in London?
As the members of international security become closer, chances for extremists to take advantage of the situation vanish. Tehran and London may decide to keep Afghanistan out of their own problems. Tehran has proved its strategy to be supporting development and stability for its eastern neighbor. Afghanistan’s security serves Tehran’s national interests. Tehran’s view towards Pakistan is the same. It will use its potentials to help Kabul and Islamabad establish security inside their borders. However, in general West should not expect Tehran to forgive and forget what they have done and treat Afghanistan as a separate issue.
Do you think Iran will attend the London conference at a senior diplomatic level? Would Britain show interest in Iran’s participation?
Iranian political observers have frequently reminded that absence will not serve our country’s interests. We could not express our stance if we shy away from the conference. Frankly, in foreign diplomacy you shouldn’t expect other countries to roll you red carpet. Iran’s participation is a must. Meanwhile, Afghanistan and the international community will benefit Iran’s attendance. Experience has proved that using regional potential to solve Afghanistan’s problems is a fruitful option. If these potentials are ignored, history could repeat for Afghanistan.
What is the role of recent trilateral meeting and upcoming conferences in marginalization of regional states which support extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
It depends on how relevant to reality are the decisions coming out of these meetings. If they remain as promises on paper, their reverse impacts would be much more. The international community should appreciate the determinants which help solve Afghanistan’s problem. As I said, one is the regional potential.
One of the worries about London conference decisions is that they may legitimize cooperation with extremists. Dialogue with radical religious groups has started since long ago, but a not-so-distant history reveals that such measures would only invigorate extremist groups and help them infiltrate into security and political domains.
How do you see Saudi Arabia’s role in fomenting extremism in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
If you look back at the last decade when Taliban declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, only two Arab states, Saudi Arabia and UAE acknowledged its existence. If Saudi Arabia wants to continue its malign role in Afghanistan, things will become complicated. I hope the international community has learnt its lesson and will stop Arab countries that support extremism from interference in Afghanistan’s domestic developments.