Karzai ready to reintegrate Taliban

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said fighting the Taliban is no longer an option and he plans to reintegrate some of the militants back into society.

After a meeting in Istanbul on Monday with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Karzai told reporters that his plan has been fully backed by Western governments.

On the eve of a major London conference on Afghanistan, Karzai said just fighting the Taliban is no longer an option. “Those Taliban who are not part of Al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks are welcome to come back to their country, lay down their arms, and resume life under the Constitution of Afghanistan,” he added.

Karzai praised Turkish efforts to ease the tension between Pakistan and Afghanistan over allegations of Pakistani support for the Taliban.

When asked if Pakistan had already begun talking to the Taliban, Zardari did not deny it.

The Turkish president said he was satisfied with the progress so far in the trilateral talks.

The London conference on Afghanistan opens Thursday. It is to include talks on international development assistance. Finding funding for a program to encourage Taliban insurgents to lay down their arms is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda.

The Turkish president is hosting another meeting on Tuesday with the two presidents and senior diplomats and ministers from the United States, Iran, Russia, China, and Britain.