Pakistan, Afghanistan, Agree To Talk To Taliban

By Cernig

As the U.S. plans to escalate its military component in the region, Pakistan and Afghanistan are moving to defuse the reasons for fighting as a high-level meeting of delegates from the two countries agreed to open the doors to reconcilliation talks with the Taliban.

Former Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said both countries would talk only with those militants who "accept the constitutions of both nations," but did not explicitly say they must first disarm.

Another delegate to the two-day talks between political and tribal leaders in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad said that the offer was not open to al-Qaida members blamed for some of the worst violence in both countries.

"We agreed that contacts should be established with the opposition," said Abdullah, the head of the Afghan delegation.

"Those who are willing to take this opportunity and come forward, the door is open," he said.

Neither Pakistani-based nor Afghan-based Taliban spokesmen were immediately available for comment.

He said the meeting, or "jirga," had formed committees to seek contacts with "all parties in this conflict." They would then report back to a meeting in two months with their findings, he said.

Eventually, you have to talk to the terrorists you believe you can convert into non-terrorists. If that wasn't the case, the entire state of Israel, for example, wouldn't exist.

But you can bet that one of the conditions any Taliban offer to lay down its weapons will include is a withdrawal of Coalition forces from the region. The Afghan government knows that, and knows that the Taliban is still largely controlled and supplied by the Pakistani military and ISI intelligence agency. It seems that Afghanistan has decided to swap its independence for peace and become a Pakistani satellite - which was always the long-term aim of Pakistani foreign policy and use of the Taliban as proxies in Afghanistan. That's understandable but it may be as well for the US, India and others to start getting used to the new reality in the region.

Comments

[Peter G.]

Yet somehow I don't think the US,the NATO countries, India or any other interested parties are likely to allow Pakistan's ISI to create their own little terrorist training ground. Yes I recognize that today's terrorist can be tomorrow's politician but some people set themselves beyond that pale. Nuclear power or not Pakistan's incredibly fragile economy and their vulnerability to economic pressure means the ISI is likely to wind up a target of their own government if push comes to shove.

[Steve Hynd]

Hi Peter,

I'm not at all sure the government is more powerful than the ISI. The last two attempts to bring the ISI under more civilian control fell flat on their face. I think there's more chance of Pakistan becoming a target of sanctions and attempts to curb the military's power at some point, probably after the West has figured out how badly its been had. That hasn't happened yet. I was sorely dissapointed to se, via Joe Klien, that the US intel community seems to have swallowed the spin that the Marriott bombing was a serious AQ attempt on the Pakistani civilian leadership.

Regards, C

[Peter G.]

Given the incredible tensions, cultural, religious and tribal, in that region and the possibility of false flag operations by any and all parties I don't think I'd give odds either way on the Marriott bombing. About the only thing I wouldn't buy is an AQ operation. They exist on sufferance and if they piss off enough people they will wear out their welcome. I'd like to think the amnesty pitch is directed at disaffected Taliban who'd like to go back to running their little fiefdoms free from Western interference and aren't all that sympathetic to AQ's aims.