Italy yesterday said it was considering inviting Iran to an international meeting on Afghanistan to be held in June which the United States is expected to attend.
The conference would discuss securing the borders of Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight the "spillover" of terrorism, drugs and organised crime, a senior Italian diplomat said. Iran shares borders with both those countries.
"I'll speak to Madam (Hillary) Clinton (US Secretary of State) this week in Washington about... the possibility of involving Iran," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.
Iran said yesterday it had been invited by Italy to the meeting, which is expected to be attended by representatives of the new US administration of President Barrack Obama.
Mr Frattini, outlining Italy's goals as it heads the Group of Eight (G8) Presidency, said in Brussels that the talks would bring together the world's richest countries and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, China and Turkey among others to find ways of bringing stability to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Iran is embroiled in a row with the West over its disputed nuclear programme, but Mr Obama has expressed possible readiness to talk to its leaders.
While Iran and the United States sat at the same table to discuss Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks on the United States, the Bush administration made sure the new pro-Western Afghan government kept Tehran at arm's length.
But the head of Nato, which leads some 55,000 troops in Afghanistan, has said dialogue with Iran is crucial to fighting the insurgency there.
The United States and Iran, which have not had diplomatic ties for three decades, held three rounds of talks in Baghdad in 2007 on ways of reducing violence in Iraq.
"Iran can be, if there is from their side a good political will, a contributor, particularly in the fight against drug trafficking which feeds the insurgents, particularly in the border region," Mr Frattini told a news conference.
President Obama earlier in February spoke of possible diplomatic openings with the Islamic Republic, marking a break with his predecessor George W. Bush. Iran, in turn, said it is ready for talks as long as they are "fair".
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Mr Frattini discussed the planned meeting on Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is growing in strength, with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.
"In view of the constructive role of Iran in Afghanistan, they have invited Mr Mottaki to take part in this meeting. We are now examining this invitation with a positive outlook," spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference.
He said Mr Frattini and Mr Mottaki had spoken by telephone.
"In international meetings Iran has always welcomed whatever helps the stability of Afghanistan and we have always actively attended those meetings," Mr Qashqavi said.
The talks hosted by Italy will be held in Trieste on June 27, a day after G8 foreign ministers from the United States, Russia, Britain, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Japan meet there, the senior Italian diplomat said.