TEHRAN, Jan. 25 (MNA) -- As the Istanbul and London conferences on Afghanistan approach, a number of Iranian officials have emphasized Iran’s key role in the efforts to resolve the Afghanistan crisis.

On January 28, an international conference on Afghanistan will be held in London. Another conference on Afghanistan is scheduled to be held in Istanbul on January 26.
Iran has announced that it will attend the Istanbul conference, but has set conditions for attending the London meeting.
In an interview with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting on Wednesday night, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said if Iran’s views are considered at the London conference, Tehran will study the invitation to attend the conference with a positive view; otherwise there would be no reason to attend the conference.
On Monday, the Mehr News Agency published several interviews conducted with MPs and officials, who commented on the upcoming conferences on Afghanistan and noted that the country’s problems cannot be resolved without Iran’s cooperation.
Iran should attend London conference
Majlis Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Hossein Ebrahimi said that Iran should attend every meeting on Afghanistan, including the London conference.
“Afghanistan is a neighbor of Iran and has a long common border with the Islamic Republic of Iran. We cannot be indifferent toward this country,” the MP added.
Commenting on the issue of drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Iran, he said drug trafficking threatens the Islamic Republic, so Iran should closely monitor its border with Afghanistan.
The Majlis Foreign Relations Committee is currently studying the invitation for Iran to attend the London conference on Afghanistan, he added.
Afghanistan cannot be stabilized without Iran
Mahmoud Vaezi, the deputy director of the Expediency Council’s Strategic Research Center, maintains that resolving the issues Afghanistan is facing and rebuilding the country’s infrastructure will be impossible without Iran’s cooperation.
The U.S. policy toward Afghanistan has failed, so the United States should revise its policy, he said.
“Iran, as a country that has always paid the price for insecurity and instability in Afghanistan, should play a major role in Afghanistan,” he noted.
On the invitation of Iran to the London conference, he said if the conference is being held to establish peace in Afghanistan and resolve the issues the country is facing, these goals will not be achieved without Iran.
Iran plays major role in efforts to stabilize region
MP Mahdi Sanaii of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said Iran plays a major role in the efforts to establish stability in the region, adding that it will be impossible to establish security in Afghanistan without Iran’s help.
It is essential for Iran to be sensitive to developments in Afghanistan, and “Iran cannot remain indifferent toward Afghanistan,” he added.
Iran’s participation in the meetings on Afghanistan is essential for the Islamic Republic, since Afghanistan’s problems have a negative effect on Iran, he opined.
Pointing to NATO and U.S. forces’ failure to establish security in Afghanistan, he said the West should recognize the pivotal role Iran plays in regional developments.
Any regional conference excluding Iran will fail
MP Parviz Sorouri, another member of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also emphasized Iran’s important role in the region, saying any conference on Middle Eastern issues that excludes Iran will fail.
“Iran is the main and most important player in the region,” he stated.
On the invitation of Iran to the London conference, he said the Western powers have realized that Iran’s participation in the conference is essential.
Any measure taken that ignores Iran’s major role in the region will get nowhere, he stated.
“If Iran feels that its participation in the London conference is not merely a formality, it will attend the conference,” he added