Taliban Rejects Renewed Karzai Call For Peace Talks

The Taliban accused Karzai of being a puppet (file photo)

Afghanistan's Taliban has once again rejected President Hamid Karzai's call for peace talks.

Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf accused Karzai of being a "puppet," adding that he could not represent a nation or government.

On February 20, President Karzai renewed his appeal in parliament for the Taliban to accept his peace proposal.

At a conference in London in January, donor nations backed Karzai's plans for peace negotiations with those militants who renounce violence.

So far, those calls have not been taken up despite a continuing NATO offensive and the recent capture of the Taliban's number two figure.

compiled from agency reports