Afghanistan welcomes Pakistani role in peace talks

[March 11, 2010]  ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday that Pakistan has a key role to play in peace talks with the Taliban, a possible attempt to quash speculation that his government was trying to sideline its neighbor.

Pakistan has offered to help negotiate with the Afghan Taliban, a group it once armed and funded. But some analysts have speculated that Afghanistan would prefer to leave Pakistan out of the process because it doesn't trust its motives.

Karzai disputed such notions during a joint news conference held with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani as part of a two-day trip to Pakistan -- his first since he was re-elected in a fraud-marred vote last year.

"I am thankful to you, Mr. Prime Minister, for offering support to Afghanistan's efforts for reconciliation," said Karzai. "Indeed, Pakistan has a significantly important role to play there, and Afghanistan welcomes that role."

Speculation over Pakistan's role in peace talks with the Taliban has increased in recent weeks following the government's arrest of the group's No. 2 leader in a joint raid with the CIA in the southern city of Karachi.

Pakistan's motives for capturing Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar have been shrouded in mystery, but some analysts have speculated the country was trying to guarantee itself a seat at the negotiating table.

Others believe the arrest was driven by intelligence obtained by the U.S. and did not reflect Pakistan's motivations.

It was one of the first times Pakistan helped arrest a senior Afghan Taliban commander even though many of the group's leaders are believed to be based in the country.

Critics have accused the Pakistani government of protecting Taliban leaders to maintain good relations with the group in anticipation of Western forces eventually withdrawing from the country -- an allegation denied by Pakistan.

Karzai said at a breakfast meeting with reporters Thursday that he doesn't know why Pakistan arrested Baradar. But he called on Islamabad to hand over the Taliban commander, something Gilani said his government was still considering.

Many Afghans resent Pakistan's involvement in their affairs, but Pakistan's history of links to the Taliban, a group it supported when the militants controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, could make Islamabad an indispensable player.

Karzai has made a renewed push to hold reconciliation talks with the Taliban and plans to hold a peace conference in Afghanistan in April. He said Thursday he was dedicated to pursuing the process despite lukewarm enthusiasm from the U.S.

"Our allies are not talking the same language from time to time," Karzai acknowledged Thursday. "I'll be asking our allies to come to us with one mind."

While Britain has urged Pakistan to push ahead in the peace process, the U.S. has been more cautious in supporting a peace plan and has instead preferred to highlight programs focusing on reintegrating disaffected Taliban fighters into broader Afghan society.

Karzai said Kabul is not as far ahead on reconciliation plans as some have speculated, but that it was committed to the process.

He said his government had contacts within the Taliban leadership "as high as you wish to go" but would not say if that included Taliban leader Mullah Omar. He reiterated his willingness to talk to Omar "as an Afghan to Afghan."

Karzai met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday and also visited army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Thursday before meeting with the prime minister.

Pakistan has long tried to influence Kabul so that it can strengthen its regional position with regard to its longtime rival, India. New Delhi, too, is trying to curry favor with the Afghans, and both Pakistan and India accuse each other of funding militant groups to destabilize their countries, with Afghanistan often the stage for the strikes.

Karzai said he is determined to prevent Afghan soil from being used by India, Pakistan or any other countries to carry out attacks against each other.

"The bottom line here is that Afghanistan does not want any proxy wars on its territory," said Karzai.

[Associated Press; By SEBASTIAN ABBOT and NAHAL TOOSI]

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