"moderate" Taliban: Don't Diss Al-qaeda

Earlier this month, Friederike Böge of Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) spoke in Kabul with Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef: a former Taliban official who is rumored to be a key player in facilitating potential talks between the United States and the Taliban. On Zaeef’s account, he has already had a visit from a representative of the American embassy, as well as visits from other western diplomats.

Zaeef was the Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan at the start of the American-led military intervention in Afghanistan. He then spent over three years in Guantanamo, before being repatriated to Afghanistan. He remains on the UN list of terrorist persons and entities. He complained about this fact in his conversation with the FAZ: “How can I convince the Taliban to trust the Americans, when not even the Taliban who have reconciled with the government are free?” This might also be a reference to the fact that he is technically under house arrest in Kabul.

On potential talks, Zaeef had this to say: “Talks will only be possible if both sides abstain from posing preconditions.” This includes, according to Böge’s report, the condition that the Taliban distance themselves from Al-Qaeda. “For the time being, the Taliban need the support of Al-Qaeda,” Zaeef said, “If the Americans try to break this link, the Taliban will only see it as a conspiratorial attempt to weaken them.”

(Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungspan>, 23 March<)