Agence France Presse, 12 December 2006
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed Pakistan for violence in his country, saying "state elements" were supporting insurgents in
Afghanistan.
"The problem is not the Taliban," Karzai told reporters during his visit to the southern city of Kandahar, the focus of a Taliban-led insurgency which has claimed nearly 4,000 lives this year alone.
"The problem is with Pakistan", Karzai added, for the first time making such comments publicly, adding he had been negotiating with his eastern neighbor for the "past five years".
"If you resolve the difficulties with Pakistan, the question of the Taliban will go away automatically," he said.
"The state of Pakistan was supporting the Taliban, so we presume if there's any Taliban they are (being) supported by state elements," Karzai said.
Asked if he meant Pakistan government, the President said: "Yes, of course -- everybody knows that and that's very clear."
Karzai said he proposed a regional peace council to ask Pakistan -- a key ally of the US-led 'war on terror' -- to stop backing the Taliban, who were fighting his US-backed administration.
Karzai took office in late 2001, after a US-led coalition toppled the Taliban.
The Taliban were ousted from power after they failed to hand over Osama bin laden, the man who masterminded the September 11, 2001 attacks on US cities.
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Citation: "Afghan leader blames Pakistan for Taliban violence," Agence France Presse, 12 December 2006.
Original URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061212/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanpakistan_061212195342
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