The Afghan government on Thursday invited Taliban insurgents to a peace council of elders as part of efforts to find a way out of a conflict which is trying the patience and resources of Afghanistan's Western allies.
In an indication of the quickening pace of diplomacy, a U.N. official said members of the Taliban's leadership council had secretly met the United Nations representative for Afghanistan to discuss the possibility of laying down their arms.
As leaders and ministers from 60 nations convened in London to discuss Afghanistan, the official told Reuters members of the Taliban's Quetta Shura had met U.N. Special Representative Kai Eide on Jan. 8 in Dubai.
"They requested a meeting to talk about talks. They want protection, to be able to come out in public. They don't want to vanish into places like Bagram," the official said, referring to a detention center at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.
The official said it was the first time such talks had taken place with members of the Taliban's top council, which U.S. officials say is based in the Pakistani city of Quetta.
At the London conference, nations agreed that Afghan forces should aim to take the lead role in providing security in a number of provinces by late 2010 or early 2011, opening the road for a reduction in foreign troops.
'We must reach out'
"We must reach out to all of our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers, who are not part of al Qaeda, or other terrorist networks, who accept the Afghan constitution," Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the conference.
The United States and its allies would not be involved in the council, known as a loya jirga, and have said they want to leave it up to the Afghans to seek reconciliation.
At the same time, U.S. President Barack Obama is sending in 30,000 more troops to weaken the insurgency and convince the Taliban to accept a peace deal, which crucially would require them to sever ties with al Qaeda militants.
More than 110,000 foreign troops are in Afghanistan, including some 70,000 Americans.
"You have to be willing to engage with your enemies if you expect to create a situation that ends an insurgency or so marginalizes the remaining insurgents that it doesn't pose a threat to the stability and security of the people," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said $140 million had been pledged toward an international fund to help reintegrate Taliban foot soldiers into society. Japan said it would provide $50 million toward that sum.
War weary
The war, originally launched to deny al Qaeda militants a haven under the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, has entered its ninth year with public support in the United States and its NATO allies waning as casualties rise.
A flawed election, widespread corruption and questions about Karzai's performance have also fueled criticism of the mission.
With economies still fragile after the financial crisis, governments are keen to find a way to end the war.
An Afghan government spokesman said the Taliban would be asked to take part in the loya jirga, expected to be held early this year.
"We wish them to come," spokesman Hamid Elmi told Reuters.
The Taliban have so far shown no willingness in public to enter talks, though some analysts say they realize they are no better placed than the United States and its allies to win the war by military means alone.
"They are tired of fighting. Despite a lot of the bravado they don't have the capacity to take the country," a UN diplomat said. "So in the long run they need a route out themselves."
Western governments have stressed there could be no compromise with those who harbored links with al Qaeda.
But the West's attitude to involving at least some elements of the Afghan Taliban, once demonized over their human rights record and treatment of women before they were ousted by the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, appears to be softening.
Role for Saudi Arabia
Elaborating on the Dubai meeting, the U.N. official said there had been no follow-up on the talks yet but added: "We've had the initial approach and we are hoping that the Afghan government will now follow up and capitalize on it."
The Dubai meeting was at a higher level than earlier known talks which took place in Saudi Arabia between former Taliban officials and representatives of the Afghan government in 2008.
Karzai also called on Saudi Arabia, which has hosted talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives in the past, to help bring peace to Afghanistan.
In response, Saudi Arabia said it would take part in peace efforts only if the Taliban denied sanctuary to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and cut ties with militant networks.
Karzai also said Afghanistan needed the support of its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, to secure peace. Washington says Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Muhammed Omar and other leaders are based in Pakistan — a charge Islamabad denies.
Pakistan, one of only three countries to recognize the Taliban government before it was overthrown, is seen as well placed to mediate in any talks.
