Karzai, Saudi King discuss Afghan conflict

SAUDI ARABIA: Afg-han President Hamid Karzai held talks with Saudi King Abdullah on Wednesday as he sought support to negotiate peace with the Islamist Taliban rebels in his war-torn country.

Karzai met with King Abdullah and senior officials in Riyadh at the king’s Janadriyah farm outside Riyadh, the official SPA news agency reported.

“They discussed international efforts to achieve security and stability in Afghanistan as well as the prospects for cooperation between the two countries,” SPA reported.

Karzai was believed to be seeking Saudi help to persuade Taliban leaders into reconciliation talks, as well as asking for more financial aid for his country.

Early last year Saudi Arabia hosted secret discussions with Taliban and Afghan officials, which failed to achieve any breakthrough. The Saudis have insisted that the Taliban stop protecting members of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan before they will give full support to any peace talks.

“We are aware of the urgent need to improve the security situation, because we believe that there can be no development without security and stability,” Karzai said in an interview with Okaz newspaper published on Wednesday.

The meeting with King Abdullah came a week after Britain hosted a meeting of nearly 70 countries to discuss Afghanistan’s problems and seek ways to end the war between the the Taliban and Kabul and its Western backers. Saudi Arabia agreed at the London conference to host a followup meeting of Gulf and other donors to Afghanistan at the end of February.

Earlier on Wednesday, Karzai cancelled a meeting with the secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference which was to discuss the group’s desire to convene a conference of Islamic scholars in Afghanistan including representatives of the Taliban.

A spokesman for the OIC said that Karzai’s cancellation of the meeting related to a scheduling conflict. Riyadh, Thursday, AFP