He says nothing was accomplished

By John F. Burns
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

October 1, 2008

KABUL, Afghanistan – As the Afghan war intensifies and U.S. commanders call for increased troop levels, President Hamid Karzai said yesterday that he had repeatedly sought the intervention of the Saudi royal family to bring the resurgent Taliban to peace negotiations.

But Karzai said his appeals had failed to yield any talks, and his tone suggested frustration with the Saudi government for not having acted more decisively. Nor was there any indication that senior Taliban leaders were ready for talks on any grounds the Karzai government and its Western backers would be likely to accept.

On the contrary, the Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, issued a new call Monday for Afghans to continue their “holy war” against U.S. and other Western troops, and he promised that those heeding his call would be rewarded with a collapse of U.S. power in the world, just as the former Soviet Union collapsed after its 10-year occupation of Afghanistan.

Both Karzai and Omar made their remarks during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, observing the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The Taliban leader's remarks appeared on a jihadist Web site that has been frequently used for his pronouncements.

Karzai, speaking at his headquarters in the Arg Palace in Kabul, said Afghan envoys had been to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but have been unable to start negotiations with the increasingly assertive Taliban.

Developments Petraeus interview: As he prepares to take his post as head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. David Petraeus told The New York Times  in an interview this week that he expected the fight against the insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan to get worse before it gets better. “Obviously, the trends in Afghanistan have been in the wrong direction, and I think everyone is rightly concerned about them,” said Petraeus, who as the commander of forces in Iraq oversaw the troop “surge” that has been credited with helping reduce the violence there. U.S. Army death: Sgt. William E. Hasenflu, 38, of Bradenton, Fla., was killed by small-arms fire Sunday in the Jaji district of Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

The approach to the two governments appeared to stem from their long-standing links with the Taliban. Saudi Arabia was one of only three governments that recognized the Taliban government in Kabul after 1996. Many Taliban leaders are believed to be in hiding in Pakistan, and there is a history of contacts between the Taliban and Pakistan's military intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.

“The reality is that for the last two years, we have been sending letters and messages to the king of Saudi Arabia, and requesting him, as a leader of the Islamic world, to help us achieve security, peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan and good relations in the region,” Karzai said.

But he said nothing had been accomplished.

Karzai was speaking nearly seven years after a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power in Kabul, at a time when the conflict with the Taliban and al-Qaeda has grown.

The toll among foreign troops in Afghanistan, with more than 230 deaths this year among more than 20 NATO countries contributing troops, has reached a new high.

Karzai's remarks followed recent news reports that Afghan political leaders had been meeting with the Taliban and other rebel groups in the hope of negotiating peace. It was not clear whether the talks took place with government approval.

Western diplomats said it was not clear why Karzai chose to disclose his efforts to start talks with the Taliban. But they noted he had just returned from a trip to the United Nations in New York, where he met with Muslim leaders who have urged Kabul to negotiate with the Taliban.

 »Next Story»