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US talks with Taliban in turmoil following Karzai kerfuffle
PEACE talks between US and Taliban officials have been plunged into chaos before they have even begun, as tensions surrounding the process continue to grow.

The proposed talks are now reportedly unlikely to take place today, as had been expected, following anger from Afghan President Hamid Karzai. A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the initial meeting was likely to be held in the "next few days," but would not be more specific.

Officials of Karzai's government have been angered by the opening of a Taliban political office in Doha on Tuesday, and said the US had violated assurances it would not give official status to the insurgents.

"As long as the peace process is not Afghan-led, the High Peace Council will not participate in the talks in Qatar," Karzai said in a statement, referring to a body he set up in 2010 to seek a negotiated peace with the Taliban.

Specifically, the officials objected to the ceremonial opening of the office - which included a prominent Taliban flag and a banner with the insurgent group's state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - giving the impression that the Taliban had achieved some level of international political recognition.
What color was the tablecloth? What shape was the table?
The Taliban has said it does not recognise the government of Karzai.

A statement on Qatar's foreign ministry website last night clarified that the office which opened was called the "Political Bureau for Afghan Taliban in Doha" and not the "Political Bureau for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan".

The US and the Taliban had announced only this week that officials from both sides will meet in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in coming days, in a step forward for a stuttering peace process after 12 years of bloody and costly war between U.S.-led forces and the insurgents.

But the precise timing of the negotiations is now uncertain, while US officials work furiously to keep the nascent peace talks on track.

US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with Karzai on the phone, telling him his concerns were justified and that he would work to resolve the issue.
I imagine Jahwn was actually telling Karzai to sit down and shut up or he won't be allowed on the helicopter when it leaves Kabul in late 2014...
It remained to be seen how long Karzai's boycott of the peace process - of which he is said to be deeply sceptical - will last.

The announcement of the diplomatic moves on Tuesday had raised hopes that Karzai's government and the Taliban might enter their first-ever direct negotiations on Afghanistan's future, with Washington acting as a broker and Pakistan as a major outside player.

The Taliban has until now refused talks with Kabul, calling Karzai and his government puppets of the West. But a senior Afghan official said earlier the Taliban were now willing to consider talks with the government.
As long as they get everything they want...
US officials said that in the talks, America would stick to its insistence that the Taliban break ties with al Qaeda, end violence, and accept the Afghan constitution, including protection for women and minorities.
Unless that doesn't work, in which case it's all negotiable...

Posted by: Besoeker 2013-06-20
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=370618