TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday that it is necessary that that the United Nations play a “transparent role” in the peace process in Afghanistan, TOLOnews reported.

“There is a need for a transparent role for the UN in the Afghan peace process and for a responsible withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan,” Zarif told the participants at the “Heart of Asia” conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Zarif also reiterated Iran’s long-held policy that peace and security in the country is only possible through intra-Afghan talks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry media department said.

Noting that the UN should facilitate talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, Iran’s chief diplomat said any peace agreement must guarantee the rights of Afghans for determining their fate. 

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif pointed to the connection of Iran and Afghanistan’s railway networks in the calendar year 1399, saying it was a great step for establishing a regional-international railway network.

The Iranian calendar year 1399 ended on March 20.

PA/PA