Afghanistan to top India-Iran talks - India - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: While PM Manmohan Singh's much anticipated visit to Iran may still take some time coming, government sources disclosed that foreign minister S M Krishna will visit Tehran later this month to shore up ties and ensure that Iran remains an ally despite the spate of setbacks in relations in the recent past.
Krishna's visit to Iran, his first as foreign minister, will come shortly after foreign secretary Nirupama Rao visited Tehran in February.
While officials are still in the process of chalking out the agenda for the visit, sources said that Afghanistan will be one of the key issues to be discussed between the two sides.
"Iran is a an important ally when it comes to dealing with Afghanistan and its help is crucial to ensure that elements hostile to India don't have a free run in Afghanistan, allowing Pakistan the strategic depth which it so dearly seeks over India after the NATO forces leave the region," said a senior government official.
Despite Krishna spelling out conditions which could facilitate Indian engagement with Taliban, the fact is that New Delhi remains deeply apprehensive about the Taliban-al Qaida combine having a say in the Afghan administration once the US-led forces pull out.
Iran continues to maintain, as evident in its ambassador Syed Mehdi Nabizadeh's statement last month, that there is no good or bad Taliban and that Taliban's return would further worsen the security situation. Unlike India, however, Iran opposes deployment of more troops in Afghanistan and boycotted the London Conference saying that it was aimed at increasing military presence in the country instead of focusing on regional cooperation to solve the conflict.
The official said that Iran, Russia and even China were important for India to keep out Taliban from playing any major role in Afghanistan once "reconciliation and reintegration" start to take effect.
When Rao was in Iran, sources said, she also emphasised on terrorism emanating from Pakistan as an issue deeply affecting India, and Iran, which too has been at its receiving end, concurred that this had to be checked.
Krishna will also convey to the Iran leadership that India favours peaceful resolution of the issue related to Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. It remains one of the most contentious issues between the two governments but India maintains that Tehran's NPT membership obligations make it mandatory for it not to go ahead with its nuclear weapon programme. Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki had made Iran's displeasure known to Krishna last year after India again voted in favour of an IAEA resolution against Tehran's nuclear programme.
The visit is also not likely to facilitate any headway on the IPI pipeline issue as India continues to be wary of security and gas pricing. "The door is still open but India can't make any commitment at this stage," said the official.
NEW DELHI: While PM Manmohan Singh's much anticipated visit to Iran may still take some time coming, government sources disclosed that foreign minister S M Krishna will visit Tehran later this month to shore up ties and ensure that Iran remains an ally despite the spate of setbacks in relations in the recent past.
Krishna's visit to Iran, his first as foreign minister, will come shortly after foreign secretary Nirupama Rao visited Tehran in February.
While officials are still in the process of chalking out the agenda for the visit, sources said that Afghanistan will be one of the key issues to be discussed between the two sides.
"Iran is a an important ally when it comes to dealing with Afghanistan and its help is crucial to ensure that elements hostile to India don't have a free run in Afghanistan, allowing Pakistan the strategic depth which it so dearly seeks over India after the NATO forces leave the region," said a senior government official.
Despite Krishna spelling out conditions which could facilitate Indian engagement with Taliban, the fact is that New Delhi remains deeply apprehensive about the Taliban-al Qaida combine having a say in the Afghan administration once the US-led forces pull out.
Iran continues to maintain, as evident in its ambassador Syed Mehdi Nabizadeh's statement last month, that there is no good or bad Taliban and that Taliban's return would further worsen the security situation. Unlike India, however, Iran opposes deployment of more troops in Afghanistan and boycotted the London Conference saying that it was aimed at increasing military presence in the country instead of focusing on regional cooperation to solve the conflict.
The official said that Iran, Russia and even China were important for India to keep out Taliban from playing any major role in Afghanistan once "reconciliation and reintegration" start to take effect.
When Rao was in Iran, sources said, she also emphasised on terrorism emanating from Pakistan as an issue deeply affecting India, and Iran, which too has been at its receiving end, concurred that this had to be checked.
Krishna will also convey to the Iran leadership that India favours peaceful resolution of the issue related to Iran's nuclear enrichment programme. It remains one of the most contentious issues between the two governments but India maintains that Tehran's NPT membership obligations make it mandatory for it not to go ahead with its nuclear weapon programme. Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki had made Iran's displeasure known to Krishna last year after India again voted in favour of an IAEA resolution against Tehran's nuclear programme.
The visit is also not likely to facilitate any headway on the IPI pipeline issue as India continues to be wary of security and gas pricing. "The door is still open but India can't make any commitment at this stage," said the official.
