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US holding talks with Taliban

18 June 2011 12:11 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. The United States and other countries are engaged in preliminary talks with the Taliban about a possible settlement to the war in Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday, according to a story by the Reuters news agency, Stars and Stripes reported.

His statement was the first official confirmation of U.S. involvement in negotiations, the story said.

Diplomats have said there have been preliminary talks between the two sides for months, and Karzai has said Afghans are in contact with insurgent groups.

"Peace talks are going on with the Taliban. The foreign military and especially the United States itself is going ahead with these negotiations," Karzai was quoted as saying in the Reuters article.

The U.S. Embassy in Kabul declined immediate comment.

The discussions are still not at the stage where they can be a deciding factor in U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the story said. The U.S. is nearing an announcement on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.