Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Uneasy Rivals US, Iran Meet At Afghan Conference

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, left, and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, right, are seen at the start of a meeting at the Afghanistan Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday March 31, 2009. A 72-nation conference on Afghanistan will launch a broader international commitment to the security of the region, including neighboring Pakistan, special U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke said Monday. The hastily convened conference brings together all the countries bordering Afghanistan, including Iran, and all nations contributing troops to the NATO-led international force fighting Taliban insurgents. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

From Yahoo News/AP:

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Top U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke had a brief but cordial meeting with Iran's deputy foreign minister Tuesday at an international conference on Afghanistan, marking another step in unlocking 30 years of tense relations.

The meeting between Holbrooke, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Iran's Mehdi Akhundzadeh came on the sidelines of a meeting where Iran pledged to help the reconstruction of its neighbor but criticized U.S. plans to send more troops into Afghanistan.

Read more ....

More News On U.S. - Iranian Relations

US says Iran meeting was "brief, cordial" -- Reuters
Iran and US hold 'cordial' talks -- BBC
Clinton: Iran, US diplomats will keep in touch -- Press TV
Iran: U.S. troops in Afghanistan raise "radicalism" -- Reuters
Iran hits out at American troop surge in Afghanistan -- Times Online
Iran offers to help US rebuild Afghanistan -- The Guardian
US, Iran the offstage drama at Afghan meet -- AP
Iran to the U.S.: Where we go now -- L.A. Times opinion

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