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'Taliban leader will talk to US' -- CNN
CNN claimed on Friday that the "Pakistani military has declared" that it is in contact with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar and can bring him and other commanders to the negotiating table with the US. "The Pakistani military has the ability to get the Taliban to the table with the US to broker a ceasefire by jump-starting a dialogue between the warring parties," reported CNN, claiming that it was quoting army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas from an 'exlusive interview'. "That's right. Dialogue," said Abbas. "Eventually, one would have to return to the dialogue table. I think that can be worked out." Abbas said that in return for any role as a broker between the US and the Taliban, Pakistan wanted concessions from Washington over Islamabad's concerns with India. CNN also claimed that the "Obama administration is willing both to talk to top Taliban leaders and to raise some of Pakistan's concerns with India". Abbas told CNN that following the Soviet war in Afghanistan, the Pakistan remained in contact with Taliban commanders such as Mullah Omar, but that did not mean "you endorse what they are doing". Posted by: Fred 2009-07-11 |
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