Saudi Departure a Blow for Taliban Peace Talks

This story was filed by CBS News' Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad.

Saudi Arabia's unexpected withdrawal from is role in peace talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Taliban has jeopardized prospects for an early end to the bloody fighting in Afghanistan, senior Western and Arab diplomats in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region tell CBS News.

The withdrawal from the talks, announced in a Nov. 7 statement by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, surprised long-time observers of the desert Kingdom, where such policy moves are rarely made public, let along broadcast on state television.

The Taliban has consistently denied they are involved in any peace negotiations with the Afghan government, but the talks, including discussions involving high-level militant commanders, have been widely reported.

As al Qaeda's faction in Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, becomes a more viable threat, diplomats say the Saudi's have grown weary of Taliban commanders supporting al Qaeda militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

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"You have the Saudis getting increasingly impatient because of the growing threat of al Qaeda from Yemen," a senior European diplomat in Islamabad told CBS on condition of anonymity.

"The Saudis have drawn a red line for the Taliban and told them enough is enough. This (statement) is evidence of the Saudis running out of patience," added an Arab diplomat based in Islamabad, who also asked not to be identified.

The net effect, according to both of these sources, could be a major blow the negotiation efforts, and thus Washington's attempt to bring the security situation on the ground under control, paving the way to a political settlement in Afghanistan.

"There has been much talk of a Saudi intermediation, but we outlined conditions after the Taliban gave refuge to terrorists," said Prince Saud Al-Faisal in the statement carried by Saudi media. "We got a request then from President Karzai to mediate and we said there will be no mediation unless the Taliban have good intentions and stop giving refuge to terrorists, but unfortunately, communications stopped."

A recent poll conducted by the Asia Foundation shows that a vast majority of adult Afghans -- some 83 percent -- are in favor of a negotiated solution with the Taliban and other militant groups to end the endless violence in their country.

Saudi Arabia's role in Afghan affairs dates back to the 1980s, when the oil rich Kingdom stepped in to support a group of U.S.-backed insurgents known as the "mujahideen".

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Armed and trained by the CIA and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) counter-espionage agency, the Mujahideen were built up to block the advance of troops from the former Soviet Union. Osama bin Laden first entered Afghanistan with the knowledge of Saudi Arabia's intelligence officials, according to experts.

Since the 1989 withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia has sought to unite factions of disparate Afghan warlords, seeking to build a common front of Islamic groups to preside over the country.

During the Taliban rule of Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia emerged as just one of three countries to recognize the clerical regime led by religious zealots, though its relations with the Taliban were adversely affected when the movement's leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, refused to expel bin Laden from the country.

The European diplomat who spoke to CBS News in Islamabad said the Saudi decision to abandon the talks was prompted, in part, by the rise of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Yemen-based faction which poses a direct threat to the Kingdom.

"Before the (AQAP) buildup in Yemen, the Saudis saw the Taliban backing for al Qaeda as a somewhat distant threat. Now, it is a threat knocking on their door," the European official told CBS.

A second Arab diplomat, based in the Middle East, told CBS the Saudi decision would undermine U.S.-backed efforts to secure peace in Afghanistan.

"Saudi Arabia may not be the main arbitrator in this situation, but the Kingdom has a great deal of clout directly with the Taliban, and also with Pakistan, which is a powerful player. Now, without the Saudis, there will be an additional challenge for the U.S." said the diplomat.

The European diplomat agreed with the assessment, adding that the U.S. and other players would likely urge the Saudis to return to the peace process.

"In diplomacy, doors are never shut for ever," concluded the official.