• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Akhoundzadeh refutes any talks with US delegation

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

The Hague, April 1, IRNA – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Mahdi Akhoundzadeh took part in an interview with IRNA here on Tuesday in connection with rumors that the Iranian and US delegations to the Afghan conference had had a meeting.

The interview with Akhoundzadeh came following US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s claim in a press conference on the sidelines of the Afghan conference that the head of Iranian delegation and Richard Holbrooke, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, had had a meeting. Iran’s Embassy in the Hague was quick to reject the claim.

Akhoundzadeh told IRNA, “We are not in the hide-and-go-seek game; our policy is crystal clear.”

He added that in Baghdad three rounds of talks were held on a call by the Iraqi government and everything was clear. “We are not at all scared of any talks. Anything should be on its right course. Before coming here, we announced that our presence is for discussing Afghanistan. We have neither on our agenda nor have any program for talks with the US officials. That the other party raises the issue for whatever reason, might perhaps be a sign that it is a bit hasty or wants to have special use of the conference where many countries were attending.”

“We here openly met with three foreign ministers. Our delegation’s presence too was clear here. In a place where there are so many cameras and reporters, naturally we will not hide having talks, if any. The part that concerns us is that we will inform people and reporters of any talks with Americans on Afghanistan. That was the case with Iraq. So, there will be no reason to be questioned about talks, if any. We said since the beginning that our policy is clear and vivid. We will proceed within the same framework too. Furthermore, our relations with the US are not restricted to Afghanistan and covers a wide range of subjects. The issue too should be looked into from the same framework.”

He added that since arrival in The Hague it was announced that it is not to hold any talks with the US delegation.

“The same scenario was repeated in Moscow. Definitely, certain people follow their own special goals. The rest should be assured that if the Islamic Republic of Iran is to hold talks with the US, like talks with it on Iraq, all will be informed and there is nothing to conceal,” concluded Akhoundzadeh.