Britain's Brown says talks with Taliban unlikely

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says negotiations between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban on the war in Afghanistan are unlikely while NATO and United States troops remain under attack. Brown told Al-Jazeera television in an interview broadcast on Sunday that a dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban to halt violence would be "very, very difficult indeed." Speaking during a four-day tour of the Gulf region, the British leader said he understood that Karzai wants to create a more inclusive Afghan society - but didn't think that process can currently include the Taliban. "I think it's very difficult, because I think that the Karzai government wants to reach out to make for a more inclusive society, but I think at the same time, when British and other troops are being murdered by the Taliban forces, in the way of roadside bombs, and ... guerrilla warfare. I think it's very, very difficult indeed," Brown said.