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Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar
Spanta attends an interview in Kabul March 28, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters, File
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KABUL, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan Foreign
Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta admitted on Thursday that there are peace talks
with Taliban in Saudi Arabia but emphasized that no official is representing the
government in the talks.
Spanta, in a regular press conference in Afghan
capital Kabul, described the talks as "informal", saying former Foreign Minister
of Taliban's ousted regime Mawlawi Wakil Ahmad Mutawakil and its ambassador to
Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, President Hamid Karzai's brother and some
religious leaders from Afghanistan attended the informal meeting in Saudi
Arabia.
Nevertheless, Spanta stressed that "any one wants to
talk must accept the national constitution."
"We talk to Taliban but there are some boundaries
must not be violated," he said, "these are human rights, women equity with men
and freedom of press which have been envisaged and guaranteed in the national
constitution."
Moreover, the Afghan Foreign Minister maintained that
war is not the solution adding "we should talk to the armed and unarmed
oppositions."
Nevertheless, President Karzai's chief spokesman
Hamayon Hamidzada earlier rejected any official talks with Taliban outfit but
added "the door for negotiation is open for anyone who wants to lay down arms
and accept the constitution of the country. "
Taliban militants have agreed to hold talks with
President Karzai's administration on conditions that all foreign troops must be
withdrew and the constitution must be modified.
The Taliban regime, ousted from power in late 2001,
had confined women in their houses during its six-year regime and outlawed all
press freedom as well as human rights and democratic norms.