Taliban Arrests Had 'Negative Impact': Afghan Official

[tekisui]

Source: Sify news/AFP

The arrest of Taliban leaders has had a "negative impact" on peace talks between the Afghan government and the insurgents, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said Saturday.

The recent arrests in Pakistan of the Taliban's second-in-command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, and others in the Islamists' hierarchy, slowed down Afghan government initiatives to broker peace, Siamak Hirawi told AFP.

"We confirm the negative impact of the arrests on the peace process that the Afghan government has initiated," said Hirawi, Karzai's deputy spokesman.

His was the first official confirmation from the Kabul government that there had been contact with the Taliban, with the intention of discussing an end to the insurgency now in its ninth year.

He also confirmed that the former UN envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, had held peace talks with Taliban figures and said Eide had kept the Afghan government informed of his actions.

more: http://sify.com/news/taliban-arrests-had-negative-impact-afghan-official-news-international-kdusubeacjj.html

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Eide and now Karzai's spokesperson have confirmed there were 'talks about talks' and the arrests had a negative impact on that process. I still am curious, did the US request the arrests of Pakistan? I surely do not believe that Pakistan would arrest Afghan Taliban without the US requesting that they do so.

Was this a case of the US trying to disrupt any possible peace process before it gets off the ground?

Or, was it Washington acting against the efforts of the UN and Afghanistan to produce some PR gains?

[tekisui]

1. US "extremely gratified" by Pak arrest of Baradar: Holbrooke

At a press briefing on the upcoming Strategic Dialogue between the Untied States and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S. was “extremely gratified that the Pakistani Government has apprehended the number-two person in the Taliban.”

His reaction comes shortly on the back of revelations by former UN staff that secret negotiations with the Taliban for greater peace in Afghanistan might have slowed down due to the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghan Taliban’s number two commander.
Mr. Holbrooke said many other militants and groups have been picked up or eliminated, and this is increasing the pressure on the Taliban; he added that this was “a good thing for the simplest of reasons: It is good for the military efforts that are underway in Afghanistan.”

Mr. Holbrooke was asked about the revelation by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistani authorities began arresting senior Afghan Taliban leaders like Baradar.

Reacting to the question about revelations by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistan arrested Baradar, he said, the arrest “is not related to the issue that you’re addressing.” President Karzai has said he wanted a reconciliation program with all Afghans, including people fighting with the Taliban and President Obama has said we support Afghan-led reconciliation, Mr. Holbrooke said.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/20-Mar-2010/Dialogue-with-Pak-not-at-Indias-expense-Holbrooke

[bigtree]

2. the Afghan government thinks the arrests were a deliberate attempt

. . . to stifle the cooperation by the arrested figures who had been reportedly cooperating in back-channel talks. Interesting how the Karzai regime has invested so much effort in trying to forge a peace agreement with the Taliban. Any peace effort is sure to rankle those who favor a bit more killing (on all sides) before they call it quits.