Senior Iran, US diplomats meet on Afghanistan

A senior U.S. diplomat met Iran's delegate at an international conference on Afghanistan on Tuesday in a sign of tentatively improving ties after decades of hostility between Washington and Tehran.

In a rare diplomatic exchange at The Hague-based conference, the United States also directly gave a letter to Tehran seeking help to resolve three separate cases involving Americans, one a former FBI agent who went missing in Iran two years ago.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Iran's participation at the conference, which she proposed and personally had urged Tehran to attend.

"I think the fact that they came today, that they intervened today is a promising sign that there will be future cooperation," Clinton said.

She said U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, met briefly with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh on the sidelines of the meeting on Afghanistan.

"It did not focus on anything substantive. It was cordial, it was unplanned and they agreed to stay in touch," Clinton said, without specifying when their next contact would be.

While unscripted, Holbrooke's encounter reflected a strong wish by the Obama administration to engage Iran on issues of mutual concern such as Afghanistan and help kick start what the new U.S. president says could be a "new beginning" with Tehran.

Iran is fully prepared to participate in the projects aimed at combatting drug trafficking and the plans in line with developing and reconstructing Afghanistan

Deputy Foreign Minister Akhoondzadeh

Cooperating on Afghanistan

Earlier at the meeting, Iran's delegate agreed to help fight drugs trafficking in Afghanistan but also criticized the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan.

"The presence of foreign forces has not improved things in the country and it seems that an increase in the number of foreign forces will prove ineffective too," Akhoundzadeh said.

Despite the criticism, a senior U.S. official said he saw a much better tone overall from Tehran at the conference.

We must support efforts by the government of Afghanistan to separate the extremists of al-Qaeda and the Taliban from those who have joined their ranks not out of conviction but out of desperation

US State Secretary Clinton

"Having heard the Iranian speech at many conferences, this was better," he told reporters. "Instead of blaming everyone else they said they want to work with people in the region."

Clinton welcomed Iran's pledge to fight drugs trafficking and said Iran had put forward "some very clear ideas that we will be pursuing together."

She said she had no direct dealings with Akhoundzadeh. They were seated alphabetically at a horseshoe-shaped table in the meeting room when they made their speeches.