US confirms talks with Taliban
US defence secretary Robert Gates has confirmed US officials are involved in preliminary discussions with the Taliban to seek a political solution to the war in Afghanistan, but warned he did not expect significant progress for months.
Mr Gates' admission came after Afghan president Hamid Karzai revealed the US was holding talks with the Taliban - the first official confirmation of such contacts.
"I think there's been outreach on the part of a number of countries, including the United States," Mr Gates confirmed to CNN, adding that the contact had been going on for "a few weeks maybe."
"I would say that these contacts are very preliminary at this point," he said, stressing it was crucial to determine "who really represents the Taliban" before jumping into talks with parties claiming to represent the group's leader Mullah Omar.
"My own view is that real reconciliation talks are not likely to be able to make any substantive headway until at least this winter," he said.
"I think that the Taliban have to feel themselves under military pressure, and begin to believe that they can't win before they're willing to have a serious conversation."
The Taliban, driven from power in Afghanistan when US and British troops invaded following the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, have consistently rejected any efforts to talk peace in public statements.
Although diplomats and officials say talks are at a very early stage, they highlight an increasing focus on finding a political solution in Afghanistan as foreign combat troops prepare to pull out by 2014.
On Friday, the UN Security Council split the international sanctions regime for the Taliban and al Qaeda in a bid to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts.
The action sends "a clear message to the Taliban that there is a future for those who separate from Al Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by the Afghan constitution," said US envoy to the UN Susan Rice.
Drawdown looms
Mr Gates also said recent gains on the ground in Afghanistan meant president Barack Obama would have "a lot of room for manoeuvre" when deciding how many troops to withdraw as he begins a limited US drawdown next month.
Almost a decade into the Afghan conflict, the American public has grown increasingly war-weary, and the killings of Osama bin Laden and other leading Al Qaeda figures in recent months have fuelled calls for a rapid pullout.
High-ranking officials told The New York Times that 20 out of 30 prominent al Qaeda members targeted by intelligence agencies have been killed in the last 18 months.
Mr Obama ordered 33,000 extra forces to Afghanistan in December 2009 in an attempt to thwart an emboldened Taliban's momentum, bringing the total deployed to 100,000.
He said he would begin withdrawing forces in July 2011.
Mr Gates, who leaves his post at the end of the month, has typically been cautious about pulling troops out of Afghanistan too rapidly, but acknowledged that recent gains left Mr Obama "a lot of room for manoeuvre."
"Whatever decision he makes, we will have a significant number of troops remaining in Afghanistan," he said, while adding: "The drawdown must be politically credible here at home."
The defence secretary did acknowledge the toll the long mission had taken at home, saying: "I know the American people are tired of war."
But he also warned that the US would have to maintain "a key role for some period of time."
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