Istanbul: NATO does not intend to bribe
Taliban guerrillas to defect to the Afghan government side as
a way to end the war, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh
Rasmussen said on Thursday, dismissing concerns over the latest plan
to end the country`s growing insurgency.
Fogh Rasmussen`s comments came amid a renewed push to
make peace with moderate Taliban insurgents and draw them into
the political process. The North Atlantic alliance has
strongly backed an Afghan plan to bring the insurgents over to
the government`s side.
Yesterday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Saudi
Arabia, hoping the kingdom would help persuade Taliban
militants to take part in a negotiated settlement to the war.
Saudi Arabia has a unique relationship with the Taliban since
it was one of the few countries to recognise its regime in
Afghanistan before it was ousted in 2001.
In a post on the alliance`s Web site ahead of a two-day
meeting of NATO defence ministers in Istanbul, Fogh Rasmussen
said a new USD 140 million trust fund would offer insurgents
an alternative to remaining with the Taliban.
"Much attention is on the new reconciliation and
reintegration effort initiated by the Afghan government.
Questions were raised if we are bribing the Taliban just to
get peace," he said. "I understand why this is a sensitive
issue for many."
He said many rank-and-file insurgents were not fighting
against the government and international troops for religious
and ideological reasons.
PTI
