Taliban rejects media reports of direct talks with the United States

[News_Editor]

Taliban rejects media reports of direct talks with the United States

2011-05-19 04:24:49 GMT+7 (ICT)

KABUL (BNO NEWS) -- A Taliban spokesman on Wednesday denied recent media reports that the insurgent group is involved in direct talks with the United States.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the U.S. government has accelerated direct talks with the Taliban, which reportedly were initiated several months ago. An Afghan official told the newspaper that a U.S. representative attended at least three meetings in Qatar and Germany with who the United States believes to be a Taliban official considered close to Mohammed Omar, the group's spiritual leader.

According to the report from the Washington Post, the Taliban have made clear its preference for direct negotiations with the U.S. government and have proposed establishing a formal political office, with Qatar under consideration as a venue.

But on Wednesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the reports as "baseless rumors," adding that they come from "the mouthpiece of the Western Colonialism."

"We would like to say in clear words that the report of negotiation with the invaders or direct contact with them are mere futile rumors," Mujahid said. "Similarly, the allegation that Taliban want to open [an] office in a certain country is not true. We have not asked for the opening of office in any country including Qatar."

Mujahid said the United States has repeatedly spread rumors about negotiations with the Taliban while providing no proof. In 2010, NATO secretly flew an alleged Taliban leader to Kabul only to find out he was a fraud and was not able to speak on behalf of the Taliban.

"More than half of the country is under our control and we have [an] active presence there," the Taliban spokesman claimed, although the Afghan and U.S. governments have also both claimed they are making progress in defeating insurgent groups. "This is our permanent address which is evenly well known both to friends and enemies. None can deny our presence there nor we are people who lack address and country."

Mujahid said the spreading of what it calls rumors by the U.S. government is a sign of "weakness" and "their uncertain policy." "It seems, they are facing defeat in the war of Afghanistan and are confused and on the verge of losing the battle field," he said. "Moreover, they have entirely lost their patience versus the unprecedented sacrifices of the Afghan nation. This is why they catch at a straw like a drowning man and are trying to boost the morale of their defeated and fleeing Allies by resorting to rumors."

The spokesman added that the insurgent group is seeking "complete freedom of the country" and is not interested in "government slots, mundane amenities and comfortable life." "We have never been deterred by any danger in this way and will keep up the sacred Jihad and struggle by offering our blood until complete freedom of our country is attained, the current invaders like the former ones are forced to flee our country. Thus, we will prove to the world once more that none can turn our country into a colony, nor the invaders will reach their wicked goals through this misadventure," he concluded.

The Taliban ruled over a large part of Afghanistan from 1996 until their fall from power in October 2001 when U.S. and British forces launched Operation Enduring Freedom in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Their stated goal was dismantling al-Qaeda and ending its use of Afghanistan as a base for terrorist operations.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-19

[johna]

The Brits said they were willing to talk with any moderate Taliban leader.

The definition of "moderate" is flexible.