Addressing a joint press conference here with visiting NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Afghan President Hamid Karzai Thursday said the Afghan government is having increasing contacts with the Taliban for the war-torn county's peace process.
"During the past seven to eight months, we have had increased contacts with the Taliban," said Karzai. "Only this week, I had more than five or six major contacts with them."
The Afghan president said the government maintained contacts with some Taliban, for restoring peace in Afghanistan where the Taliban, removed from power by the U.S. invasion in late 2001, has waged insurgency against the administration and international troops deployed in the country.
"We are willing to talk to those Taliban, who are not part of al Qaida and the terrorist network," he said.
The chief arrived here Thursday for a two-day visit and has held talks with Karzai over regional security situation and Afghan peace process and reconstruction and also issues about training Afghan National Army.
Talking to reporters, the alliance chief rejected a report issued recently by the Senlis Council, a European-based think tank, which claimed that the Taliban were installed in more than half of Afghanistan and the country faced a risk of being divided.
He called on the international community to unite together for securing peace in Afghanistan and asked some international organizations to stop "blaming game."
Scheffer also asked the NATO members to provide more troops for Afghanistan. About the NATO military presence, he said, "We have filled what the military say we need by 90 percent, but not 100 percent, so I am not satisfied."
The NATO secretary general added training and equipping the Afghan National Army is one of priorities, saying NATO allies and partners had not done enough in this regard.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article