"... "The condition that the Taliban part with al Qaeda is not just a condition, it is an objective. We must convince them that al Qaeda ideology and dogma will not help them," Khashoggi said.
Washington has insisted that Afghan insurgents can only be included in a political settlement if they sever all ties with al Qaeda, renounce violence and respect the Afghan constitution.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, the ex-head of Saudi intelligence and a brother of Prince Saud, has in the past tried without success to convince the Taliban to relinquish support for al Qaeda and shelter for bin Laden.
Karzai has said that Afghanistan needed the support of its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, to secure peace. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban government before it was ousted in the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
Western diplomats in Riyadh say that Karzai's open call in London indicated that more discreet diplomatic channels may have been exhausted and failed to yield results.
Saudi Arabia, could risk stoking militant anger if the Taliban loudly rejected its intervention.
Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, owned by a nephew of King Abdullah, published on Tuesday a commentary about Karzai's call wondering whether it would amount to a "rescue or entanglement."
Posted by G, Z, or B at 10:57 AM
Uprooted Palestinian
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