'Mullah Omar Ready for Peace Talks With West'; No Longer Aims to Rule Afghanistan

[tekisui]

Source: Times of India

KANDAHAR: The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, two of the movement's senior Is lamic scholars have relayed a message from the Quetta shura, the Taliban's ruling council, that Mullah Omar no longer aims to rule Afghanistan. They said he was prepared to engage in "sincere and honest" talks.

A senior US military source said the remarks reflected a growing belief that a "breakthrough" was possible. "There is evidence from many intelligence sources (that) the Taliban are ready for some kind of peace process," the source said.

At a meeting held at night deep inside Taliban-controlled territory, the Taliban leaders said that their military campaign had only three objectives: the return of sharia (Islamic law), the expulsion of foreigners and the restoration of security.

"(Mullah Omar) is no longer interested in being involved in politics or government," said Mullah Abdul Rashid, the elder of the two commanders, who used a pseudonym to protect his identity. "All the mujaheddin seek is to expel the foreigners, these invaders, from our country and then to repair the country's constitution. We are not interested in running the country as long as these things are achieved."


more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/Mullah-Omar-ready-for-peace-talks-with-west/articleshow/5826850.cms

[jpak]

1. subtitle - Obama kicked the Taliban's ass and Omar is tired of hiding from drone attacks

the end

[NJmaverick]

3. No doubt before the surge Omar had little incentive to talk peace

[NJmaverick]

2. This is a very promising development and could lead to a successful outcome

[pitohui]

4. say what? why isn't this dude on trial for his life for funding terrorism?

he housed osama bin laden for 5 years for money AFTER the u.s. cole attacks and during the plan for 9-11

i don't wanna hear abt any "peace talks" with this fool until AFTER his trial, conviction, and sentence served at which point if anyone is still interested in hearing what he has to say, he can write a fucking tell-all book

if *i* take several million dollars to house a stone killer, *i* go to prison as an accessory or sometimes as a murderer myself -- in my state i'm pretty sure mullah omar would be considered guilty of murder as the person he helped who committed the murders -- i don't wanna hear abt how now he's bored of the caves and wants to play nice!!! he took blood money, he needs prison time

[NJmaverick]

5. Peace and security for all is what is important

vengeance takes a distant second to those priorities.

[pitohui]

8. without justice there is no peace

teaching a bold murderer that if you kill enough, then you'll get a walk will not result in peace or security for anyone

those who call justice "vengeance" reveal themselves for what they are -- people who would reward the bold thief and the bold killer -- "steal a little and they put you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king" -- what progressive can support this status quo and still look themselves in the mirror?

stone cold terrorists must go on trial and must pay for their crimes, else the lesson learned is that the usa is a prime target and that attacks on us will continue to be unpunished

[exboyfil]

7. This is lot like when our U.S. military had to serve

as bodyguards for the Somali war leader who was responsible for the U.S. soldiers being dragged through the streets.

Sometimes in war unsavory choices have to be made. Omar in one sense is a head of state. Unless we are in position to punch his ticket and conquer the Taliban now, we at least need to listen. We have made deals with lots of evil folks and let lots of them continue for a very long time. As far as I can tell we do not have a popular movement within Afghanistan to kick these medieval bastards to the curb, and without such a movement we will just continue to spill more blood and make more enemies. No country likes invaders even when their own government is a hell hole.

I sure wish the Predator drone had taken him out at the start of the war. The fact that the CIA had to ask for permission at the time is a good indicator in how sensitive dealing with "heads of state" really is.

I would give him the deal if he gives up Bin Laden and his people or points the way to their corpses. Then we can claim success and justice and move on.

Afghanistan will always be Afghanistan.

[pitohui]

9. omar is not the head of any state

humoring him and giving him the celebrity he craves and teaching other terrorist/religious hate leaders that they will be humored and even honored...wow...there will never be peace, there will never be security, because every tinpot kook with a holy book could expect to be similarly rewarded with credibility and attention points

[Turbineguy]

6. Maybe he needs a new

pick-up truck.

[MUAD_DIB]

10. Peace talks: "Just don't bomb us out of existence while we regroup

to attack you one again."

Here's some peace terms. The US people want the USA to leave Afghanistan. The best way to accomplish this is the following.

1) The members of the Taliban will surrender their arms and pledge not to take up arms again...ever.
If they have to swear this before Allah then so be it.

2) The Taliban will disband as political/religious force: not to reestablish itself in any manner or under a different name.

2) All foreign Taliban will leave Afghanistan immediately for their home country of origin and swear an oath never to return.

3) Mullah Mohammed Omar and his senior members of the Taliban will surrender to US command.

4) All non-command members of the Taliban will be allowed to return to their villages and towns in peace...to live their lives in peace.

5) The USA can claim a hollow victory and leave that crap-ass part of the world to its own politics/policies.


Yeah, I know none of the above is ever going to happen. :eyes:

[Eg-ptiangirl]

11. You mean remake peace with US

Do you remember the time when both parties were fighting socialism in 80s :D

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. It's much ado about not much. The Taliban have been saying this for a long time.

They demand the return to Sharia Law, the expulsion of foreign troops, and the restoration of security. America demands that the Taliban lay down their arms, which is not just unlikely, it's unfeasible.

It may be a smart move by the Taliban by hinting at a "peace process" but retaining their conditions which will put Obama in a corner as not wanting peace because he will stick (for now) to the laying down arms part.

However, IMO, Obama is looking for a way out of the mess and may come around to real peace talks.

[NJmaverick]

13. You are badly mistaken in your assumptions. Peace has always been the President's goal

it's not something he has to "come around" to.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Really? How does that go along with escalating a lost war?

It's like Nixon's "Peace with Honor" when he escalated in Vietnam, and when that failed, he came around to finally negotiating with the North Vietnamese and finally got out after congress belatedly cut the funding.

Hopefully, Obama will negotiate before congress finally has to act.

[NJmaverick]

15. Odd that you would make these comments on the very reason for the escalation

thanks to the escalation the Taliban is now talking peace instead of conquest

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. Odd that you would not recall that the alleged reason for being there is to subdue Al-Queda.

Not to make peace with the Taliban, save women, prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, or install democracy.

[NJmaverick]

17. That's an over simplification of history to the point of being useless

we invaded because we had a cowboy president with delusions of toughness. He thought he could send our troops into our nation and capture Bin Laden like John Wayne. When then didn't happen he became board and neglected the operations there. That led to the terrible no-win situation inherited by President Obama. Now President Obama understood the treat the Taliban's return to power posed to the Afghan people who had supported us, our national reputation in all future conflicts (who would ever side with the US again if we betrayed our allies?), it would allow Al Qaeda to return and base themselves (for bigger operations) in Afghanistan and finally it would serve to destabilize nuclear armed Pakistan.

If the Taliban can be beaten to the point where they would be willing to negotiate a peace treaty than the President has succeeded in prevent all the things I have listed.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

18. Humbug. Your rosy scenario is pure speculation.

It's a many sided civil war which we involved ourselves. We picked an extremely unstable, corrupt, and unpopular side in that war. Our announced "strategy" (yet another one) is a replay of the "pacification" programs that failed in Vietnam. Just as happened there, the more the troops "pacify" the more recruits for the insurgency. We are chasing the Taliban (sort of) out of the cities and into the countryside where they thrive by enlisting the country people by intimidation or argument against the invaders.

Beyond that, the civil war, won't stop if (a very, very, big, and unlikely if) the Taliban talk peace. There are a lot of other players in the mix, particularly the regional powers, India, Pakistan, and Iran who have their own interests in Afghanistan. Not to mention China and Russia, who up to now, are content to watch us bankrupt ourselves in a lost war. India likes our war in Afghanistan because it gives them a free hand in Kashmir and keeps Pakistan tied up supporting us against the wishes of it's own people. Iran plays footsie with different sides in Afghanistan just to keep us busy and off their backs.

The Taliban are content, at this point, to appear to talk peace but aren't about to give up their weapons. Which we are obliged to refuse. In the eyes of the Afghans, Pakistanis, and much of the rest of the world, (particularly the Muslim world) we become the recalcitrants who won't negotiate.

We've seen this movie before during the Vietnamese "peace" negotiations that drug on and on until Nixon finally had to sign a "get out and let the chips fall where they may" treaty which resulted in a North Vietnamese victory.

I think you're buying into the old thinking that winning battles (sort of) wins wars. The Taliban, and the other insurgents, may be fanatics, but they're not stupid. All they have to do is wait us out.