UN in secret peace talks with Taliban

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Taliban commanders held secret exploratory talks with a United Nations special envoy this month to discuss peace terms, it emerged tonight.

Regional commanders on the Taliban's leadership council, the Quetta Shura, sought a meeting with the UN special representative in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, and it took place in Dubai on 8 January. "They requested a meeting to talk about talks. They want protection, to be able to come out in public. They don't want to vanish into places like Bagram," the Reuters news agency quoted a UN official as saying, referring to the Bagram detention centre at a US military base outside Kabul.

The Dubai meeting was confirmed to the Guardian by officials with knowledge of the encounter, but they said they could provide no further details. It was the first such meeting between the UN and senior members of the Taliban. The fact that it took place suggests that peace talks have revived since exploratory contacts between emissaries of the Kabul government and the Taliban in Saudi Arabia last year broke down.

It also suggests that some Taliban members might be prepared for the first time to put faith in an international organisation to broker a deal to end the nine-year war.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/28/taliban-united-nations-afghanistan

[WCGreen]

1. Not all that secret if we know about it...

[Pirate Smile]

2. ssshhhhhhh. good. sshhhhhh.

;)

[Arctic Dave]

3. Eight years late, but better late then never. n/t

[Vidar]

4. Glad the UN has more sense than we do.

[Prometheus Bound]

5. Can we ask for our money back?

As far as the people killed by our bombs, missiles, drones and gunships, well, how exactly to we deal with that?