The Taliban could cut their ties with Al Qaeda they once harboured as part of a peace agreement in Afghanistan, a former Taliban foreign minister said on Wednesday. But severing links with Al Qaeda should not be a pre-condition for talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil said. "Al Qaeda were in Afghanistan before as guests of the Taliban. Now they are allies in the fight," Muttawakil said. | "Al Qaeda will not be allowed to create an obstacle ... it is the right of Afghans to negotiate for peace." |
Muttawakil was part of a group of Afghans that met in Saudi Arabia last month for discussions on how to end the worsening conflict between the Taliban and the Western-backed Afghan government.
All sides agree there were no direct Taliban representatives present or that real peace talks took place in Mekkah. But the start of efforts to find a negotiated solution has been seen as a glimmer of hope amid the rising death toll in Afghanistan. Muttawakil does not speak directly for the Taliban but is known to retain ties to the movement that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.
He surrendered in southern Afghanistan in 2002 and spent nearly two years in a local United States-managed prison. Talks would not start unless pre-conditions, such as the rejection of Al Qaeda or the Taliban demand that all foreign forces leave, are set aside, he said. "Negotiation is a tool for agreement and agreement is the objective. Neither side should impose pre-conditions on starting peace talks as pre-conditions would hamper the start of negotiations." Muttawakil said confidence-building measures were needed. The release of prisoners held by US forces, the end of bounty hunting for Taliban leaders and taking key figures off black lists would be a start, he said.
