Karzai to seek removal of Taliban from UN blacklist

[tekisui]

Source: AFP

ISTANBUL — Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Monday he would press for Taliban names to be removed from a UN blacklist, as he sought support for his country in talks with the leaders of Pakistan and Turkey.

Karzai said he would ask for the names to be scratched at a major conference in London Thursday at which he hoped to win Western support for a plan to offer money and jobs to cajole Taliban fighters into laying down arms.

"I will be making a statement at the conference in London to the effect of removing Taliban names from the UN sanctions list," Karzai told reporters in Istanbul.

The idea had previously met resistance but "as we are talking today, there is more willingness that this can be reconsidered," he said.

The move is seen as a step towards persuading militants to accept peace talks.

more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jLWAtNDieEbJficYlagIrNhQ4wvA

[TexasObserver]

1. Did someone say "declare victory and leave"?

Let's do it.

[timeforpeace]

2. The proposal says to pay them off, nothing about leaving. Now why are we there again?

[Flaneur]

3. If we won't negotiate with terrorists, Karzai will have to do the heavy lifting.

[Odin2005]

4. Get the Taliban's Pashtun tribal allies on our side, then crush the remaining few religous nuts.

Much of the Taliban's support is in reality Pashtun nationalist sentiment. Get the rural Pashtun tribespeople on our side and the Taliban will be nothing more that a handful of loonies hiding in caves.

[EFerrari]

5. LOL