ISTANBUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said there are suggestions that the Taliban open a representation office in Turkey or another impartial country “to facilitate reconciliation” in the war-torn country.
Responding to a reporter’s question while attending the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Turkey Trilateral Summit in Istanbul, Karzai said Kabul would be happy if Turkey could provide such a venue, Anatolia news agency reported.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said he was not aware of such suggestions but stressed that Turkey “will do anything that would contribute to stability and security in Afghanistan,” according to Anatolia.
During the Trilateral Summit, Karzai held talks with his counterparts Abdullah Gul of Turkey and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan.
It was the fifth such meeting since 2007 when Turkey launched the initiative to push Afghanistan and Pakistan to enhance cooperation against insurgents and improve ties poisoned by the insecurity plaguing their rugged border.