KABUL – European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has called for resumption of nuclear talks with Iran.

Ashton made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on the sidelines of an international conference on Afghanistan in Kabul on Tuesday.
Ashton said the European Union will keep in touch with Iran in this regard and it is ready to offer a mutually beneficial solution.
Mottaki also briefed Ashton on Tehran’s nuclear policy and highlighted Tehran’s legitimate right to attain nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mottaki criticized the West for its double-standard approach toward terrorism.
He also pointed to the confessions by the ringleader of the Rigi terrorist group and other arrested terrorists about their relations with Western countries.
Iran’s top diplomat also suggested it is essential to take into consideration the Afghans’ tradition for resolving the protracted conflict in the Central Asian country.
Mottaki said there is no difference between the failed policies of the ex-U.S. president George W. Bush and the incumbent Barack Obama in respect to Afghanistan’s problems.
The Iranian foreign minister, during a separate meeting with his Italian counterpart, said Iran and Italy should lead the fight against drug smuggling.
It is necessary that regional nations cooperate to help establish security and stability in Afghanistan, Mottaki stated.
He also met with Japanese foreign minister. During their meeting, Mottaki said that the Tehran nuclear deal can build confidence.
The Japanese foreign minister also said, “Japan wants the Tehran Declaration to be implemented and we also insisted on this issue in the past.”
The Japanese official pointed to Tehran-Tokyo cooperation in Afghanistan and said that his country is ready to expand this cooperation