Germany extends conditional support to peace talks

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN if the insurgents embraced the Afghan constitution and severed ties with Al Qaeda.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor in Mazar-i-Sharif, German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière said they supported peace talks with Taliban on certain conditions.

He said many German troops had been killed and wounded during clashes with Taliban fighters who they fought as their enemies over the past years.

He said Germany would support the peace talks if the Taliban accepted the Afghan constitution and cut off ties with Al Qaeda.

He called hoisting a banner that carried the title of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Qatar as an irresponsible act by the Taliban. The defence minister reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continue assisting Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Noor said he had interesting talks with the German defence minister, saying they agreed on the need for Afghan-led talks with the Taliban.

“The Taliban office in Doha should have not been named as the Islamic Emirate because the move undermined the logic of war against them,” he said.

The governor said he discussed with the visiting dignitary the upcoming elections, training to police and other matters of mutual interest.

myn/ma

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