Panetta welcomes karzai’s acknowledgement of taliban talks

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai”s acknowledgement of three-way talks between his officials, the US and Taliban, saying this gives out an encouraging message that the reconciliation efforts were now Afghan-led.

Panetta said Kabul is now very much part of the reconciliation process that is aimed at devising a political settlement with the Taliban.

“It”s always been important for us to make clear that reconciliation has to be Afghan-led,” Panetta told reporters at joint media availability with the German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

“What President Karzai”s statement confirmed is that Afghanistan is now very much involved in the process of reconciliation.

“That”s extremely helpful and important to determining whether or not we are ultimately going to be able to succeed with reconciliation or not,” he said.

Karzai acknowledged that his government officials and those from the US had recently held talks with the Taliban in a three-way setting in an interview to The Wall Street Journal.

“The news that Afghan has joined those reconciliation discussions is important,” Panetta said in response to a question.

However, Maiziere said these talks will be better the less we talk on them.