KABUL, Sept 18: The Afghan government strongly rejected on Tuesday any conditions for peace talks with the Taliban after the militants demanded the withdrawal of Western troops as a prerequisite for dialogue.
The government would guarantee safe passage for Taliban negotiators at any talks but this was all, President Hamid Karzai’s senior spokesman told journalists.
“The Afghan government is not open to negotiations with any preconditions,” Homayun Hamidzada said.
“The only precondition would be a security guarantee for their negotiators.”—AFP
