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High-level Taliban contact with Afghan govt
Taliban made contact with Afghan government: US general
WASHINGTON — The top NATO commander in Afghanistan said Monday senior Taliban leaders have "reached out" to the Kabul government, but it remained unclear if the insurgents were ready for genuine peace talks.
General David Petraeus, who leads US and coalition troops, offered no other details about the Taliban's contact with President Hamid Karzai's government, which has struggled to launch a dialogue with the insurgency to end the Afghan war.
"There are very high-level Taliban leaders who have sought to reach out to the highest levels of the Afghan government, and they have done that," Petraeus was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
"Now President Karzai?s conditions are very clear, very established, and, certainly, we support them as we did in Iraq, as the British did in Northern Ireland," he said of the attempt at reconciliation.
"This is the way you end insurgencies," he told reporters.
Karzai for years has tried to open negotiations for a settlement with the Taliban but so far his efforts have yet to bear fruit.
Petraeus has spoken previously of tentative contacts between the Taliban and Karzai, saying earlier this month that the overtures were potentially promising.
"The prospect for reconciliation with senior Taliban leaders certainly looms out there. And there have been approaches at very senior levels that hold some promise," the general said.
Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omer, confirmed there had been contacts "but no formal negotiations or discussions have begun," the Times reported.
Karzai this month announced he had set up a council to pursue peace talks with the Taliban, who have been waging an insurgency in Afghanistan since they were toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001.
Afghan and US officials say the insurgents would have to meet certain conditions for any reconciliation deal, including pledging to uphold the country's constitution, renouncing violence and ties to the Al-Qaeda network.
But US officials and analysts say that the insurgency likely will not be ready to lay down their arms and agree a peace settlement until they sense they are losing on the battlefield.
In public statements, the Taliban have repeatedly rejected peace overtures, saying they will not talk peace until all NATO-led forces have left the country.
WASHINGTON — The top NATO commander in Afghanistan said Monday senior Taliban leaders have "reached out" to the Kabul government, but it remained unclear if the insurgents were ready for genuine peace talks.
General David Petraeus, who leads US and coalition troops, offered no other details about the Taliban's contact with President Hamid Karzai's government, which has struggled to launch a dialogue with the insurgency to end the Afghan war.
"There are very high-level Taliban leaders who have sought to reach out to the highest levels of the Afghan government, and they have done that," Petraeus was quoted as saying by the New York Times.
"Now President Karzai?s conditions are very clear, very established, and, certainly, we support them as we did in Iraq, as the British did in Northern Ireland," he said of the attempt at reconciliation.
"This is the way you end insurgencies," he told reporters.
Karzai for years has tried to open negotiations for a settlement with the Taliban but so far his efforts have yet to bear fruit.
Petraeus has spoken previously of tentative contacts between the Taliban and Karzai, saying earlier this month that the overtures were potentially promising.
"The prospect for reconciliation with senior Taliban leaders certainly looms out there. And there have been approaches at very senior levels that hold some promise," the general said.
Karzai's spokesman, Waheed Omer, confirmed there had been contacts "but no formal negotiations or discussions have begun," the Times reported.
Karzai this month announced he had set up a council to pursue peace talks with the Taliban, who have been waging an insurgency in Afghanistan since they were toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001.
Afghan and US officials say the insurgents would have to meet certain conditions for any reconciliation deal, including pledging to uphold the country's constitution, renouncing violence and ties to the Al-Qaeda network.
But US officials and analysts say that the insurgency likely will not be ready to lay down their arms and agree a peace settlement until they sense they are losing on the battlefield.
In public statements, the Taliban have repeatedly rejected peace overtures, saying they will not talk peace until all NATO-led forces have left the country.
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