Afghan FM Asks Iran to Convince Taliban to Attend Peace Talks

In a meeting with Iranian foreign minister's special envoy for Afghanistan, held in Kabul, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar said regional countries, particularly Iran, can play a constructive role in ending the Taliban’s acts of violence and attacks on the Afghan cities and in convincing the insurgent group to attend meaningful peace negotiations.

Pointing to Afghanistan’s proposal for special meetings of the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council about the security conditions in his country, Atmar highlighted the significant results of the most recent UNSC meeting about cessation of violence and finding a political solution to the crisis in Afghanistan.

For his part, the Iranian diplomat expressed Tehran’s readiness for full cooperation with the Kabul government.

Mohammad Ebrahim Taherian also voiced concern about the security circumstances in Afghanistan.

The other issues discussed in the meeting included ways to promote regional cooperation for addressing the security conditions in Afghanistan and an early meeting in Doha for talks about the Afghan crisis.

The security situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating in recent months as the Taliban have been overrunning many districts in rapid succession.

The Kabul government has launched a “national mobilization” in response, arming local volunteers and groups to take on the Taliban.