Taliban Arrests Derailed Secret UN Talks

(AP)  The arrests of top Taliban figures in Pakistan abruptly halted secret U.N. contacts with the insurgency at a time when the efforts were gathering momentum, the U.N.'s former envoy to Afghanistan said Friday.

Kai Eide, a Norwegian diplomat who just stepped down from the U.N. post here in the Afghan capital, said the discussions that he and others from the U.N. had with senior Taliban members began in the spring of 2009 and included face-to-face conversations in Dubai and elsewhere.

He criticized Pakistan for arresting the Taliban's No. 2 and other members of the insurgency, saying the Pakistanis surely knew the roles these figures had in efforts to find a political resolution to the 8-year-old war. Pakistan denies the arrests were linked to reconciliation talks.

"There was an increase in intensity of contacts, but this process came to a halt following the arrests that took place in Pakistan," Eide told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from his home outside Oslo.

Last month's detention of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar - second in the Taliban only to Mullah Mohammed Omar - infuriated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, one of Karzai's advisers told the AP. Besides the ongoing talks, the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic, said Baradar had "given a green light" to participating in a three-day peace "jirga" or conference that Karzai is hosting next month.

However, Gen. Athar Abbas, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, said Friday that Baradar's arrest, which he said was a joint operation with the U.S., was not connected to any peace talks. "Reconciliation or talks have nothing to do with the arrest of Baradar," he said. "It has nothing to do with the talks. Serious arrests are being made continuously."

Eide, whose comments were first reported on Friday by the BBC, said there was a lull in contacts between the U.N. and the insurgents around last summer's Afghan presidential election, but then they intensified.

"It's quite clear that the level of contact was increasing over the last few months to one point and that's when you had the number of arrests in Pakistan," he said.

Eide said there were many channels of communication with the Taliban, including those involving Karzai's representative. Eide said the negotiations must be led by the Afghans, but that contacts have been made by other parties.

"I know many have tried," he said, declining to identify those who have reached out to the Taliban.

Eide said the U.N. had met senior figures in the Taliban leadership as well as people who have the authority from the Quetta Shura to engage in such discussions. Named after a city in Pakistan, the Quetta Shura is the ruling council of the Taliban.

He said he believed that the talks, which he said were still in the early stages, could not have taken place without the blessing of Omar, the Taliban leader. "I cannot say with certainty, but I'm pretty sure," Eide said. "I find it hard to believe that these contacts could take place without his knowledge."

Eide predicted it would take weeks, months or even longer to establish confidence on both sides.

"The reason why I am commenting on this is, of course, that I have always believed that a political process was absolutely required as an integral part of our strategy," he said.

[dontknowitall]

The logic that the UN could keep a secret is almost as ludicrous that they could come up with the secret in the first place. Although,if the UN is serious about negotiating with the Taliban. Ask it's members.

[rainbowroosie]

Totally stupid argument -- there was "zero" chance of a reconciliation. Simply look at the UNs miserable track record of failure and this biased article is exposed as a fraud. The Taliban operates under orders from "god;" how can it compromise??? The logic is flawed. The UN is very good at peacekeeping, but it is pitiful at peace making. Read the UN charter and learn the differences in Chapter 6 and chapter 7. Oh, that would require a lazy ass journalist to do some research.....

[ahrats]

U.N. will negoiate with the devil himself, to help their image. The Tailban will not accept anyone who does not blindly follow them, they will kill or mame non followers (sheep). Taliban is HITLER re-born follow me or die. How do you negotiate with that?

[tmittelstaed]

The biggest mistake the UN has ever made in it's history was opening the door to negotiations with terrorists. The US tried that with the Iran hostages and it got the hostages back all right but it strengthened a horrendous regime in Iran that eventually led to the Iran/Iraq war, and since that time the few times the US has tried negotiating with terrorists it's blown up in our faces.

Please look at the situation with the Somali pirates. When Obama got into office one of the first things he did was have US Special Forces shoot to kill the pirates. Luckily the hostages got out unharmed, but guess what - when Obama gave the order to shoot to kill, it wasn't "shoot to kill unless a hostage is in the way" We did NOT try "negotiating" with the pirates, we just killed them. And, guess what - we haven't been bothered by the pirates since.

Nothing would have been served by the UN hammering out some sort of treaty with the Taliban, it would not have been recognized by the US or the Pakistan military and it would have only served to help Karzi hold on to power longer, and turn into the next dictator of Afghanistan. The only way to bring peace to that region is to kill every one of the Taliban there are along with anyone helping them, just wipe all of them out, and if any civilians get in the way, wipe them out too. The message will get heard loud and clear and you will see support for the Taliban among the locals wither away.