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'Doubtful' US-Taliban Talks Will End Afghan War, Says Iran Official

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD - A senior Iranian diplomat has cast aspersions on U.S.-led
   efforts aimed at finding a negotiated settlement to the war in
   Afghanistan, and refuted allegations Tehran gives military aid to
   Taliban insurgents to hurt the peace process.

   Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, insisted
   while delivering a public talk Thursday that his country is not averse
   to Afghan peace efforts. But Tehran is "doubtful" about Washington's
   intentions and role in the ongoing U.S.-Taliban talks, he said.

   "Where there is a role of Satan or America, we cannot expect anything
   good from that," said Hosseini when asked whether Iran believed the
   U.S.-initiated peace process would help end the 18-year-old war in the
   neighboring country.

   Speaking at the non-governmental Islamabad Policy Institute, the
   Iranian diplomat stressed the need for placing the Afghan government at
   the center of any peace dialogue.

   American and Taliban representatives have been engaged in closed-door
   meetings in Qatar, trying to agree on a "significant and lasting"
   reduction in insurgent violence before signing a peace deal the two
   sides have negotiated over the past year.

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