German minister considers dialog with Taliban

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has advocated talks with "moderate" Taliban in an effort to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan.

Izvor: Deutsche Welle

Monday, 21.12.2009.

14:23

Default images

German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has advocated talks with "moderate" Taliban in an effort to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Guttenberg proposed opening up channels for dialog with certain Taliban groups, but warned of the pitfalls of such a strategy. German minister considers dialog with Taliban Describing his definition of 'moderate' Taliban, Guttenberg said "there were differences between the groups in Afghanistan, with some, which radically oppose anything western and whose goal it is to fight our culture, and those which are simply immersed in their own, local culture." The defense minister said that he believed "cutting off every form of communication was no longer valid on the whole, although there must be criteria." Guttenberg again rejected demands by US President Barack Obama to boost Germany's troop contingent in Afghanistan, saying "I would be careful with the words: one has to follow Obama." "We should establish our own goal of forming a strategy that reflects our own experience," he said. NATO and the White House have urged Germany to provide at least an additional two battalions for northern Afghanistan. In a reference to the scheduled conference on Afghanistan in London at the end of January, Guttenberg said that "the first logical step of any new strategic approach is not to say we will send more troops and then figure out the strategy, but to formulate the strategy and then decide how many troops and civilians we will need." By the same token, Guttenberg criticized opposition Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel, who has rejected outright any boosting of German troop strength in Afghanistan. That again would mean "making a commitment before defining a strategy," he said.

German minister considers dialog with Taliban

Describing his definition of 'moderate' Taliban, Guttenberg said "there were differences between the groups in Afghanistan, with some, which radically oppose anything western and whose goal it is to fight our culture, and those which are simply immersed in their own, local culture."

The defense minister said that he believed "cutting off every form of communication was no longer valid on the whole, although there must be criteria."

Guttenberg again rejected demands by US President Barack Obama to boost Germany's troop contingent in Afghanistan, saying "I would be careful with the words: one has to follow Obama."

"We should establish our own goal of forming a strategy that reflects our own experience," he said.

NATO and the White House have urged Germany to provide at least an additional two battalions for northern Afghanistan.

In a reference to the scheduled conference on Afghanistan in London at the end of January, Guttenberg said that "the first logical step of any new strategic approach is not to say we will send more troops and then figure out the strategy, but to formulate the strategy and then decide how many troops and civilians we will need."

By the same token, Guttenberg criticized opposition Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel, who has rejected outright any boosting of German troop strength in Afghanistan.

That again would mean "making a commitment before defining a strategy," he said.

Komentari 0

0 Komentari

Možda vas zanima

Zapad zapretio, Kina uzvratila 9
Svet

Zapad zapretio, Kina uzvratila

Kina je usvojila zakon o carinama kojim želi da osnaži mehanizme odbrane svoje ekomonije nakon pretnji Sjedinjenih Američkih Država i Evropske unije da će reagovati na izvoz jeftinih kineskih proizvoda.

7:59

27.4.2024.

1 d

Podeli: