Taliban pour cold water on invitation to Afghan peace talks

KABUL: The Taliban on Thursday issued a cool response to proposals that they should begin peace talks with the Afghan government, a day after President Ashraf Ghani offered a pact to recognise the insurgents as a legitimate party in negotiations. The movement has not yet given any formal answer to Ghani’s invitation, made at a conference of officials from countries in the so-called Kabul Process aimed at creating a platform for talks to end more than 16 years of war.

But its chief spokesman did reply to an "Open Letter" published this week in the New Yorker magazine by Barnett Rubin, a respected commentator on Afghan politics, who urged the Taliban to accept talks with the Kabul government. "Our country has been occupied, which has led to an American-style supposed Afghan government being imposed upon us," the Taliban response said. "And your view that we talk to them and accept their legitimacy is the same formula adopted by America to win the war," it said, adding that the Kabul Process was simply aimed at seeking the "surrender" of the Taliban.

As part of its new regional strategy announced last year, the United States has stepped up assistance to the Afghan military and greatly increased air strikes against the Taliban, in a bid to break the stalemate.

However, Taliban fighters control large parts of the country, the Kabul government itself is deeply divided and thousands of Afghan soldiers and civilians are being killed every year. The Taliban have themselves twice offered to talk to the United States in recent weeks, but have ruled out talks with the Kabul government, a key sticking point that must be resolved before any talks can start.

The Taliban statement said the movement was "sincerely committed" to meeting international concerns over Afghanistan being used as a base for terrorist attacks and had no wish for conflict with the United States or other powers.

"The crux of the matter is, what is the vital concern of America, is it really terrorism?" it said. "Or is it extracting the mineral wealth of Afghanistan, imposing a self-styled government, preventing establishment of an Islamic system and pursuing imperial ambitions in the region from this land?""In such circumstances, we do not care about America, neither do we want to talk, nor end resistance, nor will we get tired," it said.