Iran-Taliban contacts can alleviate border problems: daily

Tehran, Nov 28, IRNA -- `Iran News' in its editorial on Tuesday      

conceded that Iran is unwilling to recognize the Taliban as the      

rightful rulers of Afghanistan for several "justifiable" reasons,    

however, it said, this "does not rule out lower level Iranian and    

Taliban officials meeting and discussing the ever growing problems on

our Eastern borders."                                                 

    Welcoming the recent visit of a delegation from the Iranian      

National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament to 

the Iran-Afghanistan border the English-language daily believed that 

the visit was indeed intended to broaden the understanding of the    

current situation in the area as well as to identify the problems    

associated with the region.                                          

    "Majority of Iran's problems on its Eastern flank are related to 

Afghanistan," it pointed out referring to the continuous drug trade. 

    Since Iran is the "shortest, cheapest and quickest route to the  

west for drug traffickers," it has taken various significant steps in

closing its borders to smugglers and their deadly drug hauls, it     

praised.                                                             

    However, Iran's success in the war on narcotics trade has        

only made the drug traffickers more adamant and has induced them     

all the more to adopt more sophisticated weaponry and reconnaissance 

equipment, regretted the daily, noting that drug convoys continue    

to be on the rise and their push to smuggle narcotics through Iran,  

has not abated.                                                       

    Although Iran does not recognize the Taliban militia as the      

legitimate government of Afghanistan, "the existing trend and the    

heavy losses suffered by Iranian security forces, which has become    

intolerable and detrimental to our national security, has made it    

necessary to hold negotiations and in order to settle these "ever    

growing problems on our Eastern borders," pointed out the daily.     

    "Even if such negotiations do not resolve all the differences    

between both countries, they will at least clarify the position of   

both sides and identify the main problems that face the region," as  

well, believed the article.                                          

    Although "such an action would certainly be in the national      

interest," however, it does not at the same time imply that Iran     

recognize the Taliban as the legitimate rules in Afghanistan" it     

pointed out in conclusion.