Pakistan

Reconciliation efforts US engaged in talks with Taliban: Karzai

Comments come amid UN’s decision to split the sanctions regime for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Afp June 10, 2011

KABUL:

The United States is holding talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday, in the first official confirmation of such contacts after nearly 10 years of war.

Although diplomats and officials say the talks are at a very early stage, Karzai’s remarks highlight the increasing focus on finding a political settlement. “Peace talks are going on with the Taliban. The foreign military and especially the United States itself is going ahead with these negotiations,” Karzai said addressing a conference in Kabul. “The peace negotiations between (the) Afghan government and the Taliban movement are not yet based on a certain agenda or physical (meetings), there are contacts established.”

The State Department has acknowledged a ‘broad range of contacts’ in support of reconciliation efforts to help end a nearly decade-long war.

“We have consistently supported an Afghan-led process of reconciliation,” spokesperson Megan Mattson told AFP. “Currently, we have a broad range of contacts across Afghanistan and the region, and at many levels, to support that effort.”

Karzai last year set up a High Council for Peace to look at the issue, which visited Pakistan – seen as key to establishing communication channels – last week.

Washington has acknow-ledged that Karzai has taken a number of positive steps. “He held a broad-based Peace Jirga last June. And he formed a High Peace Council that includes representatives from across Afghanistan and which has held meetings in provinces throughout the country,” Mattson said.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this year called on the Taliban to split from al Qaeda, renounce violence and accept the constitution so they can be re-integrated into society. Karzai’s comments came the day after the UN Security Council agreed to split the international sanctions regime for the Taliban and al Qaeda in a bid to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19th, 2011.

COMMENTS (14)

G. Din | 12 years ago | Reply @ali: "...The Afghans are about to defeat the second super power in 30 years. " Not so fast! US is talking to Taliban NOT to hand over power to them. If they fulfill the conditions Obama has spelled for them, they will be allowed to sit at the table along with all other sections of opinion in Afghanistan , amongst others the erstwhile Northern Alliance. How does that translate to "defeat (of) the second super power"? America is going to be in Afghanistan for quite a while yet and shall be calling the shots directly or indirectly!

ali | 12 years ago | Reply It was bound to happen. The Afghans are about to defeat the second super power in 30 years. History repeats itself. People who stand up and fight for honor and freedom always win in the end. I hope we learn from the Afghans.

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vasan | 12 years ago | Reply Khalid Rahim: You probably did not understand the dig I had at the imaginary importance of pakistan, You probably did not understand that I neither supported nor wrote against the talks. You certainly dont know how to shave as you belong to the bearded variety.

Mirza | 12 years ago | Reply @Awab Alvi: I agree with what you have written. I have stated several times that the US was never at war with Taliban. In fact they were close allies and a Taliban delegation was received at the White House soon after Bush took his oath of office. It was the attack on 9/11 that changed the whole situation. USA wanted Taliban to handover or evict OBL and his top aides from their country. They were given ample time but to no avail, hence the war against Afghanistan started. Everybody knows that Taliban were a majority in Afghanistan and we cannot kill them all. However, they were aiding and abetting (beware Pakistani army found in bed with OBL) the American enemies and provided them with sanctuaries. This left US with no option but to act. Even the most antiwar US citizens were not against the invasion of Afghanistan even though they were against the unjust invasion of Iraq. OBL’s death is a game changer. If it took about 10 years so be it, they finally did achieve their goal and now it is time to move on. Like anybody else US knows that they cannot kill all the Taliban which formed a majority in Afghanistan at one time. They do not have any more old score to settle, except against a few top Taliban leaders. Obama has been an anti war candidate and he is going to go again in more than a year. He is going to fulfill his promise of finding OBL and pulling the troops out. The problem is after getting caught in bed with OBL, US does not trust Pakistani army. They know that when they can make a direct call, why involve Pakistani army? This situation irks many Pakistanis, who want to be a power broker. It is not just the USA; most Afghans do not trust Pakistani army. This includes Karzai, Northern Alliance, and other leaders of Afghanistan. Any dispute which is decided by diplomacy involves both sides talking directly, that is what is happening.

G. Din | 12 years ago | Reply Now, if we could only get Mr. Karzai to drop his cape, get down on his knees and put some elbow-grease into his country. It is his country, isn't it

Ali | 12 years ago | Reply WOW! I love how all the comments are supporting the talks. Guess who has been saying to speak to the Taliban for 8 years now! Imran Khan and what do you call him? Taliban Khan. Sometimes the 'liberals' are pathetic.

Genius | 12 years ago | Reply Here is a philosophical saying in Persian which is "A fool does exactly the same thing as does the wise, but the fool does it after incurring heavy losses". The crooks and criminals ruling over their hostage i.e. the hard working, tax paying, caring and decent majority of the people of the USA, never bothered to learn any lesson from their disastrous previous venture into Vietnam, yet embarked on their life of crime into Afghanistan yet again, ignoring the wonderful philosophical saying as above. So now they have come to this, after incurring heavy losses. In any case what is there to talk about? The Afghan people do not want them in Afghanistan, so they should just pack up and leave. Leave, they way they came. Leave so that the Afghans after all, can enjoy peace tomorrow as do the people of Vietnam today. No one in the whole world wants the trouble, deaths and destructions those crooks and criminal of the USA export to other countries. Not even the people of the USA. But the people of the USA owe it to themselves to liberate themselves from being a pawn in the hands of the crooks and criminals ruling over them. They need "Democracy".

vasan | 12 years ago | Reply Zulfiqar: You probably didnt know that OBL is dead now. Somebody always said that US attacked Taliban because Taliban has refused to handover OBL.

Zulfiqar | 12 years ago | Reply @vasan somebody also mentioned the US would never negotiate and talk with taliban. what happend there?

Khalid Rahim | 12 years ago | Reply @vasan: When you shave do you do you bring the razor from the back of your neck to your face? If you believe in imaginary bridges to cross please do so. There are only two parties not happy with these negotiations, one being yourself and ilk and the other members of north alliance who at this moment as they say, make hay while the sunshines.

Asad | 12 years ago | Reply It has take USA 10 years to realize this at a cost of thousands of Pakistani and Afghan lives trillions of dollars and unfathomable instability to the region... well done!

vasan | 12 years ago | Reply Hahaha : Somebody mentioned that the Road to Kabul goes via Islamabad. Looks like the Americans flew into Kabul. What happens to the imaginary importance of Pakistan?

Javed | 12 years ago | Reply After killing thousands of innocent people for a decade in Pakistan and Afghanistan, US decides to talk to Talibans?

Awab Alvi | 12 years ago | Reply But many here in Pakistan REFUSE to talk to Talibans! My strong stance is that conflict no matter how horrid can only resolve thru dialog... Unless you negotiate a peaceful coexistence, warring parties will continue to kill each other

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