Downing Street Says » Afghanistan

» Monday, July 27, 2009

Afghanistan

Asked about reports in the press this morning regarding the possibility of discussions with the Taliban, the Prime Minister s Spokesman (PMS) told the assembled press that the position on this was the position we had held for some time. Despite some rather breathless reporting this morning, David Miliband and Douglas Alexander were not saying anything particularly new.

The Prime Minister had set out the position very clearly back in December 2007, when he said we supported the approach taken by President Karzai to former insurgents; if they were prepared to renounce violence and abide by the constitution and respect basic human rights, then there was a place for them in the legitimate society and economy of Afghanistan. David Miliband and Douglas Alexander were reminding people that we had a comprehensive approach to dealing with the situation in Afghanistan, which was about military issues, but also political reconciliation and economic development.

Asked if it would be British personell approaching the Taliban, the PMS replied that in our view, this should be an Afghan-led process and that had always been our position; this was about political reconciliation in Afghanistan. This was definitely not about anyone negotiating with people who were currently fighting NATO troops. This was about dealing with those individual elements within the Taliban and elsewhere who wanted to renounce violence, who wanted to embrace democracy and wanted to sign up to basic human rights principles.

This was not a new position and as people would know, there were already a number of members of the Afghan parliament who were former members of the Taliban who had renounced their previous ways.

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Afghanistan

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