“Sometimes you have to talk to the enemy, but Gordon Brown has got to be careful he is not placing too much emphasis on doing a deal with people who are unwilling or unable to deliver.”
“Government backs Taliban talks,” by Rob Winnett in the Telegraph (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
Britain is understood to have given the green light to President Hamid Karzai to undertake talks with Taliban militants as part of a long-term strategy to bring peace in Afghanistan.
The controversial announcement, which is likely to meet resistance from American hardliners, is now seen as essential amid intense fighting in the war-torn country with the prospect of British troops becoming tied up for more than a decade.
The Prime Minister is due to set out a new long term strategy for Afghanistan today after visiting the country earlier this week.
He will reveal a new “three-pronged strategy” with the establishment of security by Nato and the Afghan army to be followed by economic and political development.
The most controversial part of the strategy is the proposal to hold formal discussions with the Taliban — with the aim of dividing forces opposing British troops, splitting local Afghan fighters from militants linked to al-Qa’eda.
[…]
Tory defence spokesman Gerald Howarth said: “Sometimes you have to talk to the enemy, but Gordon Brown has got to be careful he is not placing too much emphasis on doing a deal with people who are unwilling or unable to deliver.”