US open to Taliban peace talks

[LEGALEAGLE]

US open to Taliban peace talks

By James Blitz in London

Published: October 10 2008 03:00 | Last updated: October 10 2008 03:00

Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, said last night that Washington could "ultimately" contemplate the idea of negotiating with the Taliban to secure a political settlement in Afghanistan, if the Afghan government were to pursue such talks.

In comments that add to the growing sense across Nato that the alliance will never achieve a comprehensive military victory in Afghanistan, Mr Gates said a political settlement with the Taliban was conceivable.

However, he insisted the US would never negotiate with al-Qaeda forces, who are also seeking to destabilise Hamid Karzai's Afghan government.

"There has to be ultimately, and I'll underscore ultimately, reconciliation as part of a political outcome to this," Mr Gates told reporters at a summit of Nato defence ministers in Budapest. "That's ultimately the exit strategy for all of us."

But when listing conditions for reconciliation, he said: "We have to be sure that we're not talking about any al-Qaeda."

Mr Gates's comments are the latest indication that western and Afghan leaders are increasingly concerned about the inability of Nato to achieve a decisive victory over the Taliban, warning that the 26 member alliance must also pursue political reconciliation with some of its enemies.

An indication of the new mood in Kabul recently became apparent when Mr Karzai said he had asked the Saudi government to consider brokering talks between his administration and the Taliban.

General David Petraeus, who will this month take the helm of US Central Command, putting him in charge of running the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, also talked this week about the need to "talk to enemies" when seeking reconciliation.

Mr Gates's comments come on the heels of a statement by a British general in Afghanistan who said last week that military defeat of the Taliban is "neither feasible nor supportable".

Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan, suggested a strategy aimed at reducing the insurgency to a "manageable level" and talking to the Taliban.

One of the factors that adds to the growing sense that a political strategy must be pursued is the reluctance of Nato members to put more troops on the ground.

Adding to the darkening mood is a draft report by US intelligence agencies which is said to conclude that Afghanistan is in a "downward spiral" and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban's influence there.

US newspapers reported this week that the classified report has concluded that the breakdown in central authority in Afghanistan has been accelerated by rampant corruption within the government and by increased violence from militants launching attacks from havens in Pakistan.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

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