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| Afghanistan |
| US downplays chances of Taliban peace talks |
| 2010-10-15 |
| [Al Arabiya] The United States on Thursday played down expectations over reconciliation talks between the Afghan government and Taliban faceless myrmidons but said it remained open to supporting Kabul's efforts, as the NATO chief said that the alliance was ready to support peace talks with Taliban without halting military operations against them. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the United States was in "close consultations" with President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai "so we know what they're doing and they know what we're doing and they understand what our requirements are." "And frankly we share with them what we think will be in their best interest as the process goes along," Gates told news hounds after a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels. Peace talks Afghanistan's Caped President Hamid Karzai this month launched the High Council for Peace, the latest effort to persuade the Taliban and other faceless myrmidons to negotiate an end to the war which has entered its 10th year. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to downplay expectations, saying it was a "long term" process. The reintegration of former faceless myrmidons was "accelerating" as "more and more" fighters were seeking a way out. The United States has set "red lines" for the reconciliation effort, demanding that former fighters renounce violence, their weapons and their allegiance to al-Qaeda and abide by the laws of Afghanistan, she said. "On the reconciliation front, this is a much more complex effort that is just beginning," she said. "We support what the Afghans are doing. We obviously have sought and obtained transparency and we have an understanding of their goals and objectives," Clinton said. She added: "Obviously we have for more than a year supported this kind of effort, but the timing is everything and the sincerity of the outreach is everything. "And so we're not yet ready to make any judgments about whether or not any of this will bear fruit on the reconciliation front, while we continue to see fighters coming off the battlefield in the reintegration front." Military operations NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen, meanwhile, said the alliance was ready to support possible peace talks with the Taliban, but ruled out halting military operations against the Afghan insurgency. While the NATO-led force was willing to provide "practical assistance" for reconciliation efforts, "we should continue our military operations" against the Taliban, Rasmussen told a news conference. Talks with the faceless myrmidons must be led by the Afghan government "but our position is if we can facilitate this process through practical assistance then why not?" said the NATO secretary general, without providing further details. Afghan officials Thursday requested NATO's support in clearing the way for a new peace initiative with the Taliban, including by halting military operations in areas where reconciliation talks could take place. Asked if NATO was ready to meet Kabul's request, Rasmussen said: "No, I think we should continue our military operations. I do believe the best way to facilitate reconciliation and reintegration is to keep up the military pressure on the Taliban." In Afghanistan, senior council member Mahsoom Stanikzai said NATO's support for the effort was "essential". He said halting military activities where beturbanned goons were holding talks, reducing civilian casualties in military operations and convincing Afghans that "NATO is not here to occupy" Afghanistan were all vital to the process. Since U.S. President Barack B.O.Obama took office last year, the U.S. administration has been more open to possible talks, though it has said that any settlement would require the faceless myrmidons to lay down their arms, renounce ties to al-Qaeda and support the country's constitution. The faceless myrmidons have always publicly denied that they are in talks. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 If we expect it to fail, what's the point? Karzai shoring up the "moderate" Afghan electorate? |
| Posted by: American Delight 2010-10-15 17:25 |
| #1 FREEREPUBLIC > ADVANTAGE - TALIBAN! ISLAMISTS KNOW AMERICANS WILL LEAVE AFGHANISTAN EVENTUALLY. "Peace in Our Time"... |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-10-15 00:53 |