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Talks with Taliban : ‘US will not consider troop withdrawal as prerequisite’

PESHAWAR: The new US administration will not consider the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan as a prerequisite for talks with the Taliban, but Washington may contemplate other ‘starters’ to make negotiations a success between the Afghan government and the Taliban, a senior American diplomat said on Wednesday.

The statement comes days after Saudi Arabia confirmed it hosted talks between Taliban leaders and Afghan officials during Ramazan. “The demand to pull out foreign troops will be a non-starter for such negotiations,” the diplomat told a group of journalists. The official said the US could consider other proposals, if put forward, for lasting peace in Afghanistan, and made it clear that there was no chance of Washington talking to Mullah Omar – the leader of the Taliban movement opposed to the Kabul regime and foreign forces in Afghanistan. “Is Mullah Omar the only person to talk to … does he lead the majority of Pashtun ethnic group members?” the official questioned. The diplomat, however, said that dialogue with ‘reconcilable’ quarters within the Taliban was not a problem for the US. The American official said the new US government would “increase troop presence in Afghanistan, and Washington is closely watching the operation against militants in Pakistan’s Bajaur Agency”. US concerns would stay if Bajaur was secured, but North and South Waziristan “continued to allow safe havens for militants”, said the official, adding that Pakistan would get ‘maximum attention’ from the new president, and whoever won the November 4 US election would not let relations with Pakistan to be affected.

The diplomat tried to stay neutral with his prediction for the US election, saying the last two elections were close, and 2008 might also see a close contest between Barack Obama and John McCain. The diplomat, however, said the economy could become a deciding factor in helping Senator Obama win the race, but any national security threat before polling day could sway voters. iqbal khattak

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