| | US opposes peace talks, delisting Taliban names Pajhwok
02/06/2010
By Lalit K Jha
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WASHINGTON (PAN): Ruling out any talks with the Taliban leadership, a top Obama Administration official has expressed opposition to the demands including removal of Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar names from the United Nations black list.
I cannot see that under the current circumstances anyone could realistically remove those names, the Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, told reporters at a news conference held at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
Holbrooke was responding to a question on demands made by a number of tribal leaders in eastern Nanagarh province early this week urging the international community to remove the names of Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from the UN black list.
The five names that were de-listed were people who had left the Taliban and are living openly and peacefully in Kabul. I don't think that the people (Mullah Omar and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar) you mentioned qualified for that kind of treatment, he said.
Holbrooke noted that this was not an American decision. It's a UN Security Council decision. And other nations have a vote and indeed four other nations have a veto on this issue. So whatever the US did, it would require the consent of other countries. And I'm virtually certain that wouldn't be forthcoming anyway, he said.
The envoy said while the US is supporting the reintegration process; it is not in favour of reconciliation with the Taliban. It is not happening now. And the United States is not involved in it. Is it important in the long run? Yes. Is it something we want to watch carefully? Yes, Holbrooke said.
Reconciliation is a reference to the possibility of discussions with the leadership of the Taliban about bringing about bringing a peaceful end to the war. This is what has gotten confused in people's minds, because people are talking about contacts with the Taliban, about negotiations with the Taliban, he said.
Let me be very clear. First of all, the United States is not in direct contact with the Taliban. Secondly, there's plenty of indirect, track-two or private-channel contacts between Taliban and Pashtun families, other people in other parts of the world. We're not part of that, he said.
Holbrooke said the United States' position on this was clearly stated by Secretary Clinton last July and President Obama in December. Anyone involved in either reintegration or reconciliation has to renounce al-Qaeda. That is the core objective, after all, of our presence in this region, is to defeat al Qaeda. And recent events show what a threat they continue to be. So let's not let the speculation get out ahead of the reality, he noted.
President Hamid Karzai is currently visiting Saudi Arabia to seek the Kingdom's support in efforts aimed at reconciliation with the Taliban and other insurgents groups.
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