Iran sets condition for attending Afghan confab

"If Iran's considerations on Afghanistan are completely taken into account in the final statement of the London conference, we will consider taking part in the gathering," Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

Mottaki said Tehran is currently studying the statement that will be presented to the conference.

The conference will be co-hosted by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and co-chaired by the UK and Afghan Foreign Ministers and the UN.

The situation in Afghanistan has become a global crisis as the military presence of foreign troops since the 2001 invasion continues to fuel violence in the country.

Mottaki said "occupiers" have failed to restore security, fight drug cultivation or eradicate extremism, which is spreading throughout the region — all of which were stated as the official objectives of the mission when former US President George W. Bush launched the invasion.

President Karzai is expected to announce his plans for his second five-year term during the conference, slated for January 28.

Neighbors of Afghanistan have been invited to attend the conference. 

/Press TV/