Afghan peace council chief: Taliban ready to talk

[October 14, 2010]  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A former Afghan president who heads a new peace council said Thursday that he's convinced the Taliban are ready to negotiate peace.

Burhanuddin Rabbani told reporters in Kabul that the Taliban have not completely rejected the idea of negotiating a nonmilitary resolution of the war.

"They have some conditions to start the negotiations process. It gives us hope that they want to talk and negotiate," Rabbani said.

"We are taking our first steps," he said. "I believe there are people among the Taliban that have a message that they want to talk. They are ready."

The Afghan government has acknowledged that it has been involved in reconciliation talks with the Taliban, but discussions between the two sides have been described as mostly informal and indirect message exchanges relying on mediators.

The Afghan Taliban, meanwhile, have denied having discussions. In a message posted on its website this week, the group said the notion of talks with the enemy was "baseless propaganda" and that negotiations would be a "waste of time."

In Brussels on Wednesday, a senior NATO official confirmed that it has provided safe passage for top Taliban leaders to travel to Kabul for face-to-face negotiations with the Afghan government. It was the most detailed indication so far of U.S. and NATO support of clandestine talks aimed at bringing an end to the 9-year-old war. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to describe the subject publicly.

Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, a top adviser to Afghan President Hamid Karzai who also spoke with reporters, confirmed the contacts that were conducted with coalition support.

"There are people who have had contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban," Stanekzai said, declining to identify the players. "The elders of this country, the clerics of this country -- they can mediate to form a bridge."

He said those who want to join to the peace process must be provided safety and security.

"The comings and goings are continuing," he said. "We are now at the beginning steps of our work."

Stanekzai said the Afghan government was getting strong support for the peace process from the international community, but that negotiations with the Taliban must be led by Afghans.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his country would be part of the process.

"Look, nothing can happen without us because we are part of the solution. We are not part of the problem," Gilani said.

Stanekzai said he welcomes Pakistan's help in finding a peaceful resolution to the war, but that Afghanistan would not go through Pakistan to talk to the Taliban.

[Associated Press; By DEB RIECHMANN]

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