By IRNA,
Berlin : A leading German lawmaker of the co- governing Social Democratic Party (SPD) here Wednesday called for a greater Iranian role in international and regional efforts aimed at stabilizing war-stricken Afghanistan.
Talking to Berlin-based foreign media representatives, Niels Annen stressed Iran played an “important” function in restoring peace and stability to Afghanistan amid a revitalized Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgency.
The member of the foreign affairs committee of the German Parliament lashed at the US for refusing to talk with Iran about pacifying the situation in Afghanistan.
“I view this is as a mistake because such talks could have a very stabilizing impact,” said Annen, while adding Washington and Tehran had also common interests in Afghanistan.
The MP from Hamburg pointed out that Iran like the US had “no interest at all in Taliban’s return to power”.
Annen hailed also Iran’s role in combating Afghan narco- trafficking referring to “thousands of Iranian soldiers who lost their lives in the battle against Afghan drug smugglers.”
“Iran has an interest in containing the Afghan drug trade which has had a dramatic impact on the region,” he added.
Annen urged stepped up regional cooperation on Afghanistan, involving Iran, Pakistan, China, India, Central Asian countries as well as “leading countries” of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
The 35-year-old Social Democratic legislator acknowledged it would “not be very easy to try to take that way.”
He warned that a “permanently unstable Afghanistan” would be a regional danger.
Annen made also clear that peace could not be restored in Afghanistan by military means.
“We don’t believe that the problem could be resolved militarily.
We cannot create peace in Afghanistan, we can only pave the way for the conditions for the peace process,” he added.