Top members of US President Barack Obama's cabinet on Sunday refused to rule out talks with Taliban leaders in order to bring about a settlement of the war in Afghanistan, but made them conditional on changes in the radical movement's strategy.
"They have to renounce Al-Qaeda, renounce violence," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an American TV. "They have to be willing to abide by the constitution of Afghanistan and live peacefully."
She said she was "highly skeptical" that any of the current Taliban leaders would be interested in following the path of negotiations or accept such conditions. But when asked directly if high-level negotiations with the Taliban were possible, Clinton replied: "We don't know yet."
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates clarified that President Obama's decision to bolster the US military presence in Afghanistan by 30,000 additional troops was aimed in part at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table on US terms.
"I think that the likelihood of the leadership of the Taliban, or senior leaders, being willing to accept the conditions Secretary Clinton just talked about depends in the first instance on reversing their momentum right now, and putting them in a position where they suddenly begin to realize that they're likely to lose," Gates said on the same program.
Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the US on Sunday to back talks with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, saying there was an "urgent need" for a negotiated approach to the conflict.
“Alone, we can't do it," Karzai said in an interview on American tv channel.
Karzai acknowledged there was no support from his US partners for talks with Omar but reaffirmed his longstanding view that it would be useful to engage the Taliban leader in negotiations.
"I do see an urgent need for a negotiated approach," he said. "As well as we try to struggle against terrorism, we must also talk and find peaceful ways."
"As an Afghan, I would very much want to negotiate with him (Omar), provided he renounces violence, provided all the connections to the Al-Qaeda and to terrorist networks are cut off and denounced and renounced."
The purpose of such talks would be to let the Taliban know that Afghanistan is their country, that they will not be persecuted and to ensure that they are not allied with Al-Qaeda, he said. "That possibility is there. This has to be backed by our allies," he said.
For his part, Omar last month rejected calls from Karzai for peace talks, in a statement issued shortly before Eid al-Adha.
"The people of Afghanistan will not agree to negotiation which prolongs and legitimizes the invader's military presence in our beloved country. Afghanistan is our home," a Taliban statement quoted Omar as saying.
