vurbano
March 8th, 2009, 10:40 AM
Karzai Likes Obama Taliban Reach Out
March 8th, 2009
From those defenders of the faith at the Associated Press:
Former Afghan Taliban and other Islamic militants offer prayers during a ceremony in Kabul in February 2009.
Karzai welcomes Obama call to reach out to Taliban
By Heidi Vogt
Associated Press Writer / March 8, 2009 KABUL—President Hamid Karzai on Sunday welcomed President Barack Obama’s call to identify moderate elements of the Taliban and encourage them to reconcile with the Afghan government.
Obama’s call "was good news because this has been the stand of the Afghan government," Karzai told a gymnasium full of Afghan women during a speech to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Obama said in an interview with The New York Times published Sunday that there may be opportunities to reach out to moderates in the Taliban, but the situation in Afghanistan is more complicated than the challenges the American military faced in Iraq…
Karzai warned that there are Taliban fighters who are beyond reconciliation — those who have joined with al-Qaida, for instance. But he said talks should go forward "with those who are afraid to come back to their country, or who feel they have no choice but to stay with the Taliban for various reasons. They are welcome."
Obama cautioned that Afghanistan is a less-governed region than Iraq with a history of fierce independence among tribes, creating a tough set of circumstances for the United States to deal with…Of course Mr. Karzai has even gone so far as to offer the Taliban government jobs and other emoluments.
But didn’t Mr. Obama say that the Afghanistan war was a war we had to win?
Or was that just one of his campaign promises that is no longer operative.http://sweetness-light.com/archive/karzai-likes-obama-reach-out-to-taliban
March 8th, 2009
From those defenders of the faith at the Associated Press:
Former Afghan Taliban and other Islamic militants offer prayers during a ceremony in Kabul in February 2009.
Karzai welcomes Obama call to reach out to Taliban
By Heidi Vogt
Associated Press Writer / March 8, 2009 KABUL—President Hamid Karzai on Sunday welcomed President Barack Obama’s call to identify moderate elements of the Taliban and encourage them to reconcile with the Afghan government.
Obama’s call "was good news because this has been the stand of the Afghan government," Karzai told a gymnasium full of Afghan women during a speech to commemorate International Women’s Day.
Obama said in an interview with The New York Times published Sunday that there may be opportunities to reach out to moderates in the Taliban, but the situation in Afghanistan is more complicated than the challenges the American military faced in Iraq…
Karzai warned that there are Taliban fighters who are beyond reconciliation — those who have joined with al-Qaida, for instance. But he said talks should go forward "with those who are afraid to come back to their country, or who feel they have no choice but to stay with the Taliban for various reasons. They are welcome."
Obama cautioned that Afghanistan is a less-governed region than Iraq with a history of fierce independence among tribes, creating a tough set of circumstances for the United States to deal with…Of course Mr. Karzai has even gone so far as to offer the Taliban government jobs and other emoluments.
But didn’t Mr. Obama say that the Afghanistan war was a war we had to win?
Or was that just one of his campaign promises that is no longer operative.http://sweetness-light.com/archive/karzai-likes-obama-reach-out-to-taliban