Kabul - The United Nations would welcome the possibility of
talks with the remnant Taliban forces in Afghanistan, but cautioned
the dealings must take place within the framework of the Afghan
constitution, a UN emissary said in an interview Tuesday.
Tom Koenigs, the special UN envoy to Afghanistan, made the remarks
in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur in Kabul.
Earlier Tuesday, the Afghan government expressed willingness
to hold 'direct negotiations' with rebel groups to restore peace and
stability to the country. The Taliban leadership on Monday said it
was open to an offer by President Hamid Karzai of peace talks with
the Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami of Hekmatyar.
'Anyone who accepts and obeys the constitution that was adopted by
99 per cent of the people would be welcome for all negotiations,'
Koenigs said, commenting on the possibility of talks.
The real question, he noted, was how serious the rebel insurgents
were in their offer for talks.
'It's nonsense to throw all Taliban into the same category as
terrorists,' Koenigs said. The Taliban was composed of different
groups.
'The issues that provoke them to violence or to rebellion have
various reasons, which of course can be discussed,' he said, speaking
in his native German.
Koenigs said it would be a mistake to underestimate the ability of
Afghanistan's new democratic system to absorb radical forces. Even
warlords have been successfully brought in from the battlefield and
into parliament, he said.
The central Asian country is preparing for next week's
International Day of Peace, which is to be marked in Afghanistan with
prayers, media programmes, humanitarian drives and cultural
activities.
The Taliban is the fundamentalist Islamic force that ruled
Pakistan according to strict religious law during the 1990s, allowing
the al-Qaeda terrorist network to thrive under its wing.
After al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks on the US on September 11,
2001, the US lead an international coalition into Afghanistan to oust
the fundamentalist government. But Taliban forces are still blamed
for much of the violence that continues to plague the country.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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