15 July 2004	Thursday	26 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

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WANA, July 14: The Ahmadzai Wazir tribe dissolved a 40-member reconciliation committee on Wednesday and set up another body to broker negotiations between the government and militants in the South Waziristan Agency.

The new 13-member committee, comprising lawyers and other professionals of the area, refuted charges that tribesmen were involved in acts of terrorism and were supporting the Al Qaeda network.

Differences surfaced on Tuesday when the 40-member committee announced that tribal volunteers would demolish houses of relatives of two wanted militants on Wednesday. The volunteers have suspended the operation.

Advocate Azizul Hassan, Noor Zaman and Nisar Ahmad Wazir have been nominated by the new committee to hold talks with the administration and end the stalemate in the region. Speaking at a press conference here, they said that media should not link Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen with Al Qaeda or any other militant group.

"All the Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen are peace-loving and patriotic people of the country, while Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization with a strong network around the world," said Mr Hassan.

He said that Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen neither gave shelter to Al Qaeda members nor helped militants in their fight against the government. He said that the government should resolve the issue through negotiations and take the people into confidence.

He said the so-called 40-member reconciliation committee had taken the entire tribe into conflict with the government. Meanwhile, the administration had stopped about 200 trucks loaded with fruit and vegetables at two check posts in the agency, despite the government's announcement that sanctions against the tribe had been lifted.