Karzai welcomes US ‘Taliban not our enemy’ remarks

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai Saturday welcomed US Vice President Joe Biden’s remarks that the Taliban “per se is not our enemy”. Biden’s comments to Newsweek magazine last week caused uproar in the US, which has been fighting a 10-year war against the Taliban-led insurgency, but reflected an increasing focus on finding a political settlement. “We are very happy that America has announced that Taliban are not their enemy. This will bring peace and stability to the people of Afghanistan,”Karzai said during a ceremony in Kabul. Karzai has agreed that if the United States wants to set up a Taliban address in Qatar to enable peace talks he will not stand in the way, as long as Afghanistan is involved in the process. The...

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Iran test fires long range missiles in Gulf exercise

TEHRAN: Iran test-fired long range missiles on Saturday during a naval exercise in the Gulf, the semi-official Fars news agency said, following a threat by Tehran to close shipping lanes if the West imposes sanctions on its oil exports. However, another Iranian news agency also reported that Tehran’s nuclear negotiator would write to the European Union offering to resume nuclear talks with major powers. The 10-day naval drill in the Gulf began last week as Iran showed its resolve to counter any attack by enemies such as Israel or the United States. “Iran test-fired missiles including long range (missiles), surface to sea, … in the Persian Gulf,” Fars said on Saturday. Tehran threatened on Tuesday to stop the flow of oil through...

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US wants to revive stalled talks with Taliban

WASHINGTON: The Obama administration hopes to restore momentum in the spring to US talks with the Taliban that had reached a critical point before falling apart this month because of objections from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, according to the US and Afghan officials. One goal of the renewed talks with the militants would be to identify ceasefire zones that could be used as a stepping stone towards a full peace agreement, a senior administration official said. US officials from the State Department and White House plan to continue a series of secret meetings with Taliban representatives in Europe and the Persian Gulf region next year, assuming a small group of Taliban emissaries the US considers legitimate remains willing,...

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Posted in: INTERNATIONAL