KABUL (PAN): President Hamid Karzai has said he was willing to talk with the Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar to bring peace to the country if the move would have the backing of the United States and other international partners.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Karzai that 'sections of the international community' had undermined previous peace overtures to the Taliban by harassing mediators 'even though they had quit the insurgency.' He did not offer specific examples.
It was Karzai's first interview since President Barack Obama announced a new strategy for the Afghan war, including 30,000 US reinforcements.
Karzai said that the target to begin troop withdrawals would give an 'impetus and a boost' for Afghans to work toward taking control of their own nation.
"We must talk to the Taliban as an Afghan necessity. The fight against terrorism and extremism cannot be won by fighting alone," Karzai said, adding that he would be willing to talk with Taliban chief Mullah Omar.
"Personally, I would definitely talk to Mullah Omar," he added. "Whatever it takes to bring peace to Afghanistan, I, as the Afghan president, will do it. But I am also aware that it cannot be done by me alone without the backing of the international community."
Karzai offered to talk with Mullah Omar soon after the Taliban was ousted in the US-led invasion of 2001, but he backed off under US pressure. Since then he has offered to talk with Taliban members who were willing to quit the insurgency.
Mullah Omar disappeared after the collapse of the Taliban regime and has been rumored to be living in Pakistan, a charge the Pakistani government denies
Karzai says not all Taliban are terrorists but members of al-Qaida and other terror groups are not welcome in the country.
PAN Monitor/ma