Karzai wants Taliban off UN blacklist

[sarmad]

The summit in Turkey between Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey has made some great developments of late. This is being done to counteract the summit in London in which UK and USA have other ideas.

What is interesting in two days we have a meeting with all neighbors of Afghanistan and China.

You guys remember last week Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan said that only the countries bordering Afghanistan will take charge in its stability and development.

The summit in London is going to be a whole different all togther.

ISTANBUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday he would press for Taliban names to be removed from a UN blacklist, as he sought support for his country in talks with the leaders of Pakistan and Turkey.

Mr Karzai said he would ask for the names to be scratched at a major conference in London on Thursday at which he hoped to win western support for a plan to offer money and jobs to cajole Taliban fighters into laying down arms.

I will be making a statement at the conference in London to the effect of removing Taliban names from the UN sanctions list, Mr Karzai told reporters in Istanbul.

The idea had previously met resistance but as we are talking today, there is more willingness that this can be reconsidered, he said.

The move is seen as a step towards persuading militants to accept peace talks.

Mr Karzai wants to bring low- and mid-level fighters into mainstream society to end the gruelling resistance but the leadership of Taliban groups active in the battered country has reservation on negotiations.

Mr Karzai was in Istanbul for talks with President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday to be followed by a meeting with leaders of his countrys neighbours on Tuesday.

Mondays meeting was also attended by Pakistan and Afghan military and intelligence chiefs, and in a joint declaration afterwards both parties stressed cooperation between their security forces and intelligence agencies.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Ankara would be ready to contribute to efforts to persuade the Taliban to lay down arms.

Tuesdays meeting, to be hosted by Mr Gul, will gather Mr Karzai and Mr Zardari and senior officials from Iran, China, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, a Turkish official said.AFP

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