Afghan President Hamid Karzai said there were talks with Taliban movement, noting that foreign forces were carrying out the dialogue.

 
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said there were talks with Taliban movement, noting that foreign forces were carrying out the dialogue.

In a press conference in Kabul, Karzai said: “Talks with the Taliban have started... the talks are going on well”.
"Also foreign forces, especially the United States, are carrying out the talks themselves."

The US embassy in Kabul did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Karzai's remarks.

Western officials in Kabul stress that attempts to set up contacts with the Taliban are at a very early stage and that efforts are still being made to achieve a communication channel with the Taliban's leadership.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this year called on Taliban members to split from Al-Qaeda, renounce violence and accept the constitution so they can be reconciled to society.

Karzai last year set up a High Council for Peace featuring senior Afghan figures in a bid to pursue talks with the Taliban in return for them laying down their arms and accepting the constitution.