U.S. wants Pakistan to force Haqqanis into talks

yeah a great idea, get some of the worlds nastiest terrorists to sit down to a little chit chat session ! Good luck with that.

Diplomacy stands for stupidity this is why it mostly never works; but hey keep trying !
we are talking about Pakistan, the Taliban, the Haqqani network, all terrorists that do nothing but lie; so lets make them sit down and talk.

SFGate
Faced with Pakistan's unwillingness to uproot the Haqqani network from its territory, Washington is now pressing Islamabad to force the Afghan insurgent group to join peace talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suggested Friday.

Clinton stressed, however, that if Pakistan doesn't move quickly, the United States would be forced to act unilaterally against Haqqani safe havens in Pakistani territory. Putting U.S. boots on the ground is not a serious option, she added, and she did not specify what action the United States would take.

While the United States would still welcome a Pakistani military operation against Haqqani militants in the country's lawless tribal areas, remarks made by Clinton at a town hall meeting in Islamabad suggested that Washington had narrowed its expectations.

Asked by a Pakistani journalist whether the United States expects Pakistan to attack Haqqani militants or force the group's leaders to negotiate, Clinton answered, "It's more the latter.

U.S. To Resume Talks With North Korea

Talks resume, oh boy.
Its been a few months without anything and before that its been even longer, so why not have a little chit chat with the lonely little Kimmie and his minions.



(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. will resume direct talks with North Korea next week in Geneva in the hope that engaging Kim Jong Il’s regime will prevent it from taking hostile actions, including nuclear weapons tests.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that while there is no new information suggesting a change of heart by North Korea, the Obama administration has decided that engagement may prevent hostile provocations. The U.S. yesterday announced the appointment of a full-time envoy to oversee the effort to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program, with Glyn Davies, ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, succeeding Stephen Bosworth...

“I don’t think we can expect much out of this meeting, but it could be seen as progress if they can at least set agendas for future talks,” said Dong Yong Sueng, a senior fellow at the Samsung Economic Research Institute in Seoul. “This will just serve to help ease tensions and create a more favorable atmosphere.”

Gates Acknowledges Talks with Taliban

“We have said all along that a political outcome is the way most of the wars end,” Mr. Gates said. “The question is when and if they are ready to talk seriously.”

Good luck with that Mr Gates.
The Taliban are so delusional they always believe they are winning, you can't talk to these people because you don't know who you are talking to.
the last time this happened the people they were talking to did not represent the Taliban and everyone looked like idiots.
Well they will still all look like idiots, until they put a bigger effort into defeating the Taliban instead of talking about withdrawing troops.

The New York Times
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged on Sunday that the United States had begun preliminary talks with members of the Taliban as part of an effort to end the war in Afghanistan.

But as he pressed his case against withdrawing a significant number of American troops from the region this year, he said that he did not believe the negotiations would produce any positive results unless the Taliban continued to feel military pressure through the end of the year.

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Mr. Gates cautioned that the talks were in such early stages — having begun a few weeks ago — that officials were still uncertain the Taliban participants were genuine representatives of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar. He said the effort was being carried out by American diplomats but did not directly involve the secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton. And he said several other countries were participating, though he did not specify which ones.

“We have said all along that a political outcome is the way most of the wars end,” Mr. Gates said. “The question is when and if they are ready to talk seriously.”

Referring to his concerns about drawing down too many American troops this summer, he added, “Real reconciliation talks are not likely to be able to make substantive headway until at least this winter. I think the Taliban have to feel themselves under military pressure and begin to believe they can’t win before they are willing to have a serious conversation.”

UK parliamentary committee urges U.S.-Taliban talks

In fantasy land where everything is bright and shiny, I would maybe agree.
But in reality land where Muslims don't tell the truth, kill innocent people for any reason ( Or an Implied reason) where the Taliban throw grenades at schoolgirls and sometimes hold them down and pour acid on their faces, talking with these rejects just is not gonna fly!

You can't negotiate with Lying Murderous Savages.


(Reuters) - The United States must hold direct talks with the Taliban if it is to have any hope of ending the Afghan war, an influential British parliamentary committee said on Wednesday.

The Foreign Affairs Committee said the military campaign was not working and urged the British government to use its influence in Washington to convince it to engage fully in direct talks with Taliban leaders.

"An Afghan-led, but U.S. driven, process of political reconciliation is the best remaining hope that the UK and others have of achieving an honorable exit from Afghanistan," the report, based on interviews with experts and officials, said.

Britain and the United States have long stressed the need for a political settlement in Afghanistan. But officials have also said any talks must be Afghan-led, and insisted military pressure is helping bring insurgents to the negotiating table.

....

Ahmadinejad proposes more nuclear talks

More talks?
I guess as long as all parties involved do exactly what the Ahmadinejad says, there will still be some talks!


Foxnews
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that further nuclear discussions with the world powers would one day produce a positive outcome, a day after the latest round of talks in Istanbul failed.

After two days of discussions with the five members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany in Istanbul, Iran refused to abandon its uranium enrichment program which many in world feel is geared towards producing material for a weapon, a charge Iran denies.

"The ground is prepared now so that if the other party is just, a positive agreement will be concluded in later sessions," he said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.

Ahmadinejad said it would take more than just a few rounds of talks to settle all the issues.

"We never expected the problems to be solved in two to three or four to five rounds, but if the other party is decisive, committed to justice and the law and respect, there is a hope that good results will come from further rounds of the talks," he
The remarks are the president's first following the Istanbul talks Friday and Saturday, which failed after Iran declared it would not even consider freezing uranium enrichment, the key concern of the discussions.

Iran says talks could be West's "last chance"

Oh no! Our last chance?
We better get to the Table and talk to Iran real quick before they don't want to talk to us no more!

oh wait, They don't talk to us now, they just tell us what they are going to do anyways.


(Reuters) - Talks next week between Iran and major powers concerned about its nuclear program could be the "last chance" for the West, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Official news agency IRNA quoted Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, as saying that once Iran is able to make its own fuel for a medical research reactor, which it has said will happen this year, it may not return to negotiations if the talks in Turkey fail.

"It might be the last chance because by installing fuel rods produced by Iran into the core of the Tehran Research Reactor, probably parliament will not allow the government to negotiate or send its uranium outside the country and the Istanbul meeting might be the last chance for the West to return to talks," IRNA quoted Soltanieh as telling French media.

Taliban arrests thwart Afghan talks: ex-U.N. envoy

Definition of the U.N. = Useless Nimrods !

This here is one more reason why the U.N. just needs to go away , secret talks with the Taliban while the U.S. And NATO forces are fighting them are unproductive to the War !
Maybe if the U.N. would just back something once in awhile it would be different , but coming out and saying that the Arrests of the upper Taliban leadership is counter productive to the "Discreet" talks they have been holding is absolutely Mind Numbing .

What is the U.N. trying to do by Talking to these savages ?

I guess the U.N. would rather see the Taliban as a political party than as a bunch of murderous thugs that they really are , not to mention that the Taliban are the biggest abusers of human rights in the world !

It just goes to show how out of touch the U.N really is .



(Reuters) - The arrests of senior Afghan Taliban members in Pakistan have stopped most talks between the insurgents and U.N. representatives, the former head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said in a BBC interview.

Norwegian Kai Eide, who stepped down this month, said talks dried up several weeks ago after more than a dozen prominent Taliban members were held in joint U.S.-Pakistan operations.

"Most communications stopped," he told the BBC World Service, according to extracts of the interview released by the BBC on Thursday. "The effect of that (the arrests) ... was certainly negative on our possibility of continuing the political process."

Contact with the Taliban began in spring 2009, paused during the elections in August and picked up after the vote until the arrests in Pakistan all but halted the process, he added.

Eide said his team met senior Taliban leaders and officials who had the authority of the group's ruling council, the Quetta Shura. A U.N. official told Reuters in January that one meeting took place in Dubai in January.

Asked if he thought Pakistan wanted to end the talks because it wanted to be in control of the process, Eide replied: "I find that interpretation to be probably the right one."

"Do I believe that Pakistan plays the role it should in promoting a political dialogue that is necessary for ending the conflict in Afghanistan? No, the Pakistanis did not play the role that they should have played."

Talks with the Taliban are "long overdue" and the arrests in recent weeks may have hardened the insurgents, making it harder to get their leaders to negotiate, he added.

The idea of talking to a group that has killed hundreds of coalition soldiers and has a long record of human rights abuses is sensitive, particularly in Britain and the United States.

The United States has so far backed attempts to persuade lower- and mid-level insurgents to stop fighting, but has resisted dealing with their leaders.

The United Nations is ready to continue informal talks with the Taliban but the contact must be discreet, diplomats said earlier this week.

U.N. set for more discreet talks with Taliban

So the U.N would like to be Discreet in their little talks with the Taliban that they are not having but are having , so don't pay no attention here there really is nothing to see , Move along like the good Sheeple you are .

The Break down IMO !

You see , the Taliban , AKA The Bad guys , nobody really likes them , they are just really mean .
And NATO , AKA the good guys , well a lot of people don't like them either , but they are the good guys !
And then the U.N. , AKA Useless Numbnuts , they are supposed to be on the side of good But they like to play both sides of the Fence , which is what they Are doing here , because really they would kinda like to see the Taliban win this fight , instead of Good Always triumphing over evil , they would like to see evil win once in a while !
So what better way to help that along than to persuade the Goat molesters Known as the Taliban , to just play along for a While !


(Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suggested in a new report on Afghanistan that the United Nations is ready to continue informal talks with the Taliban but the contact must be discreet, diplomats said.

The 15-nation U.N. Security Council will discuss Ban's report on Thursday and vote next week on his recommendation to renew the mandate of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another 12 months.

Ban said UNAMA's mandate "allows it to provide good offices to support the implementation of Afghan-led reconciliation programs" with which President Hamid Karzai is trying to reach out and offer an amnesty to Taliban insurgents.

"It (UNAMA) can also lend its good offices ... to these efforts based on the consent of the parties concerned, although the nature of the task could initially require discretion and flexibility," said the report, obtained by Reuters on Monday.

Several U.N. diplomats said this language amounted to a request for a green light from the council for UNAMA officials to continue informal talks with the Taliban, as long as the contact supported the efforts of the Afghan government.

They said the requirement for "discretion and flexibility" meant that information might be kept confidential and left out of formal U.N. briefings.

"It's a request for an explicit implicit wink from the council" to allow secret political talks with the Taliban to continue, one U.N. diplomat said.

The issue of speaking with the Taliban is a sensitive one, since the group has been subject to U.N. sanctions since 1999.

But diplomats said the former U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, had been repeatedly in contact with the Taliban, despite his denial of reports that he met with Taliban representatives in the Middle East earlier this year.

One U.N. diplomat dismissed Eide's denials, saying he "did talk with the Taliban, and on more than one occasion."

North Korea's Kim pledges to remove nuclear weapons

And this should be believed this time Because ...?



SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's leader pledged again to remove nuclear weapons from the peninsula, a news report said Tuesday, and also sent his top nuclear envoy to Beijing in a move that could bode well for stalled disarmament talks.

While Kim Jong-il has made, and broken, similar pledges before, analysts said pressure has been mounting through U.N. sanctions imposed after its nuclear test last year, as well as a botched currency reform that the South said sparked inflation and rare civil unrest.

China's Xinhua news agency said Kim reiterated his country's "persistent stance to realize the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula" during a meeting Monday with senior Chinese official Wang Jiarui.

North Korea's top nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, arrived in Beijing Tuesday, suggesting a possible resumption of stalled discussions hosted by China and including Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

"Dispatching Kim Kye-gwan indicates that some sort of understanding is being worked out between China and North Korea on restarting the nuclear talks," said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute think tank near Seoul.

Iran May Not Be Ready to Ship Out Uranium

more stalling , more deceiving , more of the same old B.S !

....Foxnews
An Iranian diplomat says his country wants to buy fuel for its Tehran research reactor, the latest indication that Iran is not willing to ship most of its enriched uranium out of the country.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh says Iran wants to purchase the fuel and is ready for new talks to work out details.

Asked if that means Iran is not willing to export most of its enriched uranium stockpile for it to be turned into the fuel, he again said his country wants to buy ready-made fuel.

This came as IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday that Iran must respond to IAEA queries about its nuclear program, and be "forthcoming" in its response to an IAEA fuel proposal.

Soltanieh's comments Monday were a strong indication that Iran will not accept the international offer that would have stripped Iran of most of its enriched stockpile.

If Iran exports most of its enriched uranium, its ability to make the core of a nuclear warhead would be delayed.

Gates pledges nuclear umbrella to counter N.Korea

A Nuclear Umbrella , Sounds so nice .
A Nuclear deterrent used to stand for something , nowadays it is nothing , an empty threat , When coming from a western country , When Countries like North Korea throw the N word around , they mean Business .
Coming from the U.S. it is almost laughable , If the Norks were fully Nuke capable and even launched them toward the U.S. , We would all be fried puppies before this lame ass administration Could lift a finger to make a decision over what to do !

....
SEOUL, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that North Korea poses a threat to his country's allies in North Asia and promised to protect them under the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

Gates, on a visit to Seoul, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, said a day earlier the United States would never tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea, as Pyongyang in recent weeks has indicated it could return to stalled disarmament discussions. [ID:nN21495767].

"The United States will continue to provide extended deterrence using the full range of military capabilities including the nuclear umbrella to ensure ROK security," Gates said in a meeting with the South's defence chief. South Korea's official name is the Republic of Korea.

Clinton laid down a hard line as Washington weighs whether to hold bilateral talks with North Korea, a step it hopes will bring Pyongyang back to wider, six-party talks on ending its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid and better global standing.

Better Global Standing , WTF ?


North Korea began reaching out to long-time foes South Korea and the United States after it was hit by fresh U.N. sanctions for its nuclear test in May aimed at halting its overseas arms sales, which provide vital cash for the destitute state.

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Tae-young said it is too early to say whether reclusive North Korea was ready to engage seriously in nuclear diplomacy.

"Although, on the surface, there are signs of some change from North Korea, including its recent willingness to talk, in reality the unstable situation such as the nuclear programme and the military-first policy continues unchanged," Kim said.

North Korea's nuclear vows fail to sway skeptics

"Kim Jong-il ... said North Korea will continue adhering toward the goal of denuclearization ... and is willing to resolve the relevant problems through bilateral and multilateral talks,"

Then why are they Saying they want to pull of another nuclear test
More of the same , It is just old news anymore .
The Norks will continually hold U.S. Diplomacy hostage ,so that they may benefit with a nice aid package , AGAIN !
Obama and the other weak leaders of the World will go right along with it .
One of these times , Kim Jong Il , Will want To get a nice Hotel Room with Obama and the other Boys , So they can really have The lovefest they really have been wanting to Have !

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told a visiting Chinese envoy he will work to end his country's nuclear arms program through multilateral talks in an apparent breakthrough, but similar vows in the past have not been met with action.

Some analysts said the North has managed to raise the stakes in the long-running and often deadlocked nuclear diplomacy after its second atomic test this year and may be seeking a new form of negotiations that include direct talks with the United States.

North Korea has made conciliatory moves in recent weeks, including the release of U.S. journalists it had held for illegal entry, in what analysts said was a way to replenish its coffers after it had been hit by sanctions for nuclear and missile tests.

"Kim Jong-il ... said North Korea will continue adhering toward the goal of denuclearization ... and is willing to resolve the relevant problems through bilateral and multilateral talks," China's Xinhua news agency said

....

Iran rules out talks on its nuclear "rights"

Well that at least lets the World Know where Iran Stands !
No talks , No problem , Talks never work Anyhow , Iran and North korea are perfect examples of that , Hell even the Israeli - Palestinian issue has been talked over to death (Literally )
So quit talking it is an enormous waste of Time , When Iran tries to test their weapons they create , we should help blow them up !
with some guided Missiles !

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president snubbed on Monday U.S. President Barack Obama's end-September deadline to talk to world powers on its disputed nuclear program, saying in his opinion discussion on the issue is "finished."

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the Islamic Republic was ready for dialogue on "challenges" facing the world but made clear Tehran would not back down in a dispute over atomic activities which the West fears are aimed at making bombs.

"From our view point (discussion of) our nuclear issue is finished ... we will never negotiate on the Iranian nation's obvious rights," he told his first news conference since he was sworn into office following a disputed re-election in June.

In Vienna, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei said his agency was stuck in "stalemate" with Iran over issues that had stirred international mistrust in its nuclear designs.

Elbaradei's renewed highlighting of the deadlock may be timely for Western powers striving to persuade Russia and China of the need for much harsher sanctions against Iran that could target its gasoline imports.

....

Bill Clinton makes surprise visit to North Korea

Oh, everything will be O.K. now , Bill Clinton is on the case ! He will get the two reporters released , and the Nuclear standoff with the Norks will be Over ! Thanx Bill !
Seriously though , he may get the two reporters released , but the Nuclear talks , I doubt he will help there , he might encourage them to further their program !
And ladies if you are released , if Bill pulls out a cigar , Beware !

SEOUL (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday to try to win the release of two jailed U.S. journalists, a move some analysts said could mark the isolated state's return to dialogue over nuclear weapons.

Clinton's trip follows months of military provocations by the impoverished North which has turned its back on negotiations with regional powers, including the United States and China, to convince it to give up ambitions to build an atomic arsenal.

North Korea's KCNA news agency said the country's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Kye-gwan, was among those greeting Clinton -- whose administration was reported to have considered bombing the North's Yongbyon atomic plant in the early 1990s.

"As soon as he arrives, he will be entering negotiations with the North for the release of the female journalists," South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted a source as saying.

....

US reaches out to second tier of Taliban leaders

Me , I would rather see everyone of the Taliban get what they deserve , A hellfire Enima, ( Would settle for a bullet in the head too !), But I guess others that know better than me think differently .
Talking to the Taliban does not sound good in anyway , so for Gen McChrystal , I hope you are correct in your Assumption that you can talk these dickheads away from their controllers ! Good Luck ! But watch your Back ! Dawn.com
WASHINGTON: As part of a new strategy, the United States and its Nato allies in Afghanistan are trying to reach out to the second tier of the Taliban leadership, while continuing to use military force to tame or eliminate the hardcore.

Gen Stanley McChrystal, the new US commander in Afghanistan, provided some insight into the new strategy in an interview published on Wednesday.

Gen McChrystal, who has prepared a briefing paper for President Barack Obama on the situation in Afghanistan, disagreed with those who say that no dialogue with the Taliban was possible.

‘There is significant potential to go after what I would call mid- and low-level Taliban fighters and leaders and offer them re-integration into Afghanistan under the constitution,’ he said.

‘Most of the fighters we see in Afghanistan are Afghans, some with foreign cadre with them. But most we don’t see are deeply ideological or even politically motivated,’ he added. ‘Most are operating for pay; some are under a commander’s charismatic leadership; some are frustrated with local leaders.’

NKorea Says It Is Open to New Dialogue on Nukes

NKorea Open to New Dialogue Over Nuclear Tensions in Apparent Call for Direct U.S. Talks

If the U.S. And the norks were to have one on one talks , we will be giving North Korea a few hundred million in aid for it , Just like the deal for the Palestinian authority !abc news
North Korea suggested a new dialogue Monday to resolve tensions over its atomic weapons programs — an apparent invitation to the U.S. to engage in one-on-one talks after Pyongyang bolstered its negotiating power with nuclear and missile tests.

Hours earlier, however, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told Pyongyang to stick to six-nation talks that the North has rejected. Clinton said the multilateral framework is "the appropriate way to engage with North Korea."

Monday's statement from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry marks a rare expression of willingness to talk by a regime that has escalated tensions with a flurry of provocations in recent months, including a nuclear test and a series of banned missile tests.

It also suggests that the communist regime thinks it has raised its stakes enough, and it's time to negotiate.

No need to talk to South, says North Korea

Well then , I guess there is no need for the rest of the world to talk to North Korea!
   With all the B.S. and threats coming out of North Korea , The whole world should just Isolate Them , Let them go forward with there little nuke test !  When it comes time to launch a Missile , Blow the damn thing up on the launch pad !

SEOUL (Reuters) - Reclusive North Korea, which rattled regional security with a threat to hold a second nuclear test, said on Saturday it would not hold talks with its wealthy South Korean neighbor because it "defiled" Pyongyang's dignity.

The North a day earlier dismissed an overture from the United States for discussions, saying it was useless to talk to the Obama administration because its "hostile policy" left it no choice but to bolster its nuclear deterrent.

The United States sent Stephen Bosworth, its envoy for North Korea, to Asia this week to rein in the secretive communist state after it raised tension with a defiant rocket launch a month ago and then threatened to step up its nuclear weapons program.

"There is no room for talks with the South Korea government group who publicly defiles the name of our republic and denies our entity," the North's KCNA news agency quoted a spokesman with its reunification committee as saying.

North Korea begins extracting plutonium

Here we go again , North Korea is playing their little game Of B.S with the U.S And everyone involved in Talks with them ( Mainly the U.S ) , As usual they will hope to get some Major concessions out of The whole ordeal .
 This will go on as it always does , The world powers will give a little , North Korea will stop again , A couple of weeks maybe months will go by And it will all start again !
  Some day maybe we will have a President who will tell these jackass's to stick it where the sun don't shine , And really mean it !

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has started to extract plutonium from spent fuel rods at its nuclear arms plant, its foreign ministry said on Saturday, further raising regional tensions already stoked by its defiant rocket launch this month.

The announcement came hours after a U.N. Security Council committee on Friday placed three North Korean companies on a U.N. blacklist for aiding Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs, eliciting a sharp rebuke from a North Korean envoy.

Reclusive North Korea has lashed out at being punished for the April 5 launch, widely seen as a disguised long-range missile test that violated U.N. resolutions, saying it would boycott six-way nuclear talks and bolster its nuclear deterrent.

"The reprocessing of spent fuel rods from the pilot atomic power plant began as declared in the Foreign Ministry statement dated April 14," North Korea's official news agency KCNA quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.

"This will contribute to bolstering the nuclear deterrence for self-defense in every way to cope with the increasing military threats from the hostile forces," it said.

U.S. to take part regularly in 7-party talks involving Iran

This could be a smart move on the Obama administration's part ?  But Knowing how Ahmadinejad
likes to act like a big boy , Prepare to be subject to an awful lot of rhetoric , and general B.S ,coming out of Imalittlemonkie , I can here his speeches now "BLAH , BLAH , BLAH ,nuclear weapons ! blah , blah , I mean peaceful Nuclear weapons , Dooohhhh ! I mean peaceful Nuclear energy !! 

the L.A.Times

Reporting from Washington -- The Obama administration said Wednesday that it will for the first time become a regular participant in group negotiations aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions, another signal of its eagerness for talks with the Islamic Republic.

In contrast with the Bush administration, which joined in the sessions only once, the Obama administration will participate with five other world powers and Iran "from now on," said Robert A. Wood, the chief State Department spokesman.

And he did not rule out one-on-one talks with Tehran, saying "it's a little early to talk about that right now."

Aside from Iran, the participants would be United Nations Security Council permanent members China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States, and also Germany.

Security for any Afghan Taliban talks, Karzai says

I would not trust the Taliban as far as I could toss a Grenade at them ( I don't throw well ) But Mr. Karzai , Along with the Obamasiah seem to think that they might be trusted !
I guess it is not out of the realm of possibilities , But we are talking about the Taliban , The guys who throw Battery acid in school girls faces , the guys who just willy nilly ,kill anyone they please , even their own for speaking against them and their suicide bombing campaign !
Trust ? Hell no ! Talk , from a distance ,Maybe ? Surround ,contain /kill ! everyday of the week!!!

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday he would guarantee security for Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar if he ever wanted to negotiate and said Western allies should remove him or leave if they disagreed with that.

With the Taliban insurgency spreading seven years after the hardline Islamists were forced from power, the possibility of talks with more moderate Taliban leaders is increasingly being considered, both in Afghanistan and among its allies.

The Afghan government says it is willing to talk to anyone who recognizes the constitution.

A tentative first step toward talks was taken in September when a group of pro-government Afghan officials and former Taliban officials met in Saudi Arabia for discussions on how to end the conflict.

But the Taliban have rejected any suggestion of talks as long as foreign troops remain. Karzai, who visited the United States and Britain last week, said that Taliban condition was unacceptable.

However, Karzai said he would guarantee the safety of fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he ever wanted to talk peace.

"If I hear from him that he is willing to come to Afghanistan or to negotiate for peace ... I, as the president of Afghanistan, will go to any length providing protection," Karzai said.

"If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, the international community has two choices: remove me or leave if they disagree," he said.

"PROVE THEMSELVES"

But Karzai said there was a way to go before a security guarantee for Mullah Omar was even an issue. He was still waiting for the Taliban to prove that they wanted peace.

"We are not in that stage yet. Right now, I have to hear it from the Taliban leadership, that they are willing to have peace in Afghanistan. They must prove themselves," he said.

Mullah Omar carries a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. As with Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders, Omar is believed to be in hiding somewhere along the Afghan-Pakistani border.

Violence in Afghanistan has surged over the past two years, raising the doubts about prospects for the country and its Western-backed government.

About 70,000 foreign troops, about half of them American, are struggling against the Taliban, whose influence, and attacks, are spreading through the countryside in the south, east and west.

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has also suggested he was open to talks with more moderate Taliban leaders to explore whether a strategy used in Iraq of talking to enemies, that is credited with helping turn around the situation there, would work in Afghanistan.