October 22, 2008	Wednesday	Shawwal 22, 1429

RIYADH, Oct 21: Saudi Arabia confirmed on Tuesday it had hosted a meeting between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents but said any future mediation would depend on the Afghans showing a desire for peace.

Taliban and Afghan officials attended an iftar in Makkah last month in the presence of King Abdullah.

Both Afghan parties have denied the meeting amounted to reconciliation talks, but Riyadh-based diplomats and Saudi analysts say Riyadh is hoping to break the Taliban’s link to Al Qaeda for fear of Pakistan’s future.

“The kingdom’s effort was the result of an official request by President Hamid Karzai,” Foreign Minister Prince

Saud Al Faisal told a news conference.

“We can only try because we are concerned about security and peace in that country ... but it’s up to the Afghans themselves,” he said.

“If we feel there is a desire on their part to solve the problems politically and end violence —then that’s what we hope

for and there will be an attempt (at mediation) in that framework. But if we don’t feel there is a response then it would be difficult to find a way to intervene.”

Analysts say Saudi Arabia is worried that if Islamist forces, including the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies, succeed in destabilising Pakistan, it would have a devastating impact on the entire South Asia and Middle East.

Prince Saud was speaking after talks with the European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana, which he said covered deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

—Reuters