Hamid Karzai Won’t Hold Peace Talks Until Clear Taliban Leader Comes Forward

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says he won’t meet with Taliban insurgents to discuss a peace treaty until a clear leader with authority to negotiate comes froward.

During a Sunday interview with CNN Karzai said the September assassination of former President Burhanuddin Rabban occurred after he attempted to meet with the Taliban leadership only to realize he was “actually talking to nobody.”

According to Karzai:

“A man who came in the name of a messenger for peace turned out to be a suicide bomber,” and “Therefore, we have now clearly said that we will welcome a Taliban address, but that address must have the clarity that this representative is authorized and is representing the Taliban movement as we see it.”

Karzai furthered his message by calling for Pakistani involvement in peace negotiations:

“Because we all know that the Taliban have their places there,” Karzai said. “They operate from there. And a meaningful peace process cannot go well or end in satisfactory results without Pakistan’s participation and help.”

Afghanistan and U.S. Troops managed to destroy much of the Taliban stronghold in the country after the U.S. invasion however the group quickly formed into a guerrilla movement bent on attacking U.S. and Afghan troops and government officials.

A peace accord is important for the Afghanistan president with troops expected to withdraw from the region in 2014. As Karzai has pointed out, political stability has been achieved with the help of international allies but “personal security” for individual citizens has “yet to come.”

Do you believe the Taliban can reach any sort of “peace accord” with any country they occupy?