Karzai Urges Taliban Reconciliation

[tekisui]

Source: Al Jazeera

Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has called for a process of reconciliation with Taliban fighters who are not linked with al-Qaeda.

"We will invite all those Taliban who are not part of al-Qaeda, who are not part of terrorist networks, who want to return to their country ... to come back to their country," he said at a security conference in the German city of Munich on Sunday.

"I would request the international community to back us in this, fully, and be of one view on this, not of divided views," he said.

"There is no way that we can succeed in the way we want to, in the right time, without some form of reconciliation".

The Afghan president called on world leaders attending the conference, including Joe Biden, the US vice-president; Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president; Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Nato members, to support his proposal.

Mark Seddon, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Munich, said: "There will be people here who say that the Taliban are engaged in terrorism, how can you talk to them?

"What is being talked about here in Munich is a strategy that gets everybody on board.

"But having listened to the German defence minister, the senior US personnel and the Afghan president, you get the impression they are some way from getting to an agreed strategy.

more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/02/200928101412448638.html

[leftstreet]

1. Interesting article

snip...

The appeal by Karzai could be part of a strategy to shore up his flagging presidency and convince international partners that he is the best person to lead Afghanistan, MacDonald said.

"President Karzai is playing a very interesting game in terms of strategy; he is facing domestic political pressures, there is a election due in a few months time and he is haemorrhaging support internationally," he said.

"He seems to be out of favour with the Obama administration and other foreign leaders. It may be he is hoping that his comments will appeal to the US."


Thanks for posting.

[Ex Lurker]

3. how are the Taliban going to reconcile while we're bombing the shit out of their families? n/t

[tekisui]

2. kick