By IRNA
London : Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed Wednesday that Britain supported efforts by the Afghan government to open talks with Talebans but only when they renounce violence and accept democracy.
But in making a parliamentary statement on British policy in Afghanistan, Brown dismissed reports that UK officials would hold any direct negotiations with Talebans.
“Britain will continue to fulfil our obligations to the Afghan people and the international community. We will support the Afghan army, police and government as they progressively take over greater responsibility for their own security,” he said.
“We will work with our international partners and help the Afghans themselves strengthen their stability, foster democracy, and build prosperity,” his statement said.
The Independent newspaper reported that the prime minister would outline plans to engage Talebans in dialogue, saying they were not a coherent organisation but a disparate group of tribesmen.
But Brown’s spokesman insisted that the British government will not directly talk to Talebans or become involved in direct negotiations between UK officials and Afghan hardliners.
“There is no question of the British government weakening its resolve to support the Afghanis in its efforts to defeat the Talebans and everything it stands for,” the spokesman said.
“Of course, we support the on-going effort by the Afghan Government to encourage dissatisfied Afghans into the mainstream.” The change in policy comes after Defence Secretary Des Browne indicated in September that the British government had retreated from its commitment to defeat remnants of the former regime.
“In Afghanistan, at some stage, the Taliban will need to be involved in the peace process because they are not going away any more than I suspect Hamas are going away from Palestine,” Browne said at a Labour fringe meeting in Bournemouth, southern England.
The Prime Minister was setting out a new long term strategy for Afghanistan after visiting Kabul on Monday, when he confirmed that Britain’s deployment will remain at around 7,800 troops “for the foreseeable future.”
He also welcomed commitments from other countries in terms of troops, such as France and Denmark, and repeated his call for more support from other countries, saying if they could not provide troops, they could help with resources.