Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told a German newspaper that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar can run for president in the election scheduled for next year.
In an interview published on April 2 by the German daily newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung," Karzai said Omar "can give Afghans the opportunity to vote for or against him."
Karzai, whose term as president expires next year, added that the Afghan Constitution is valid for all Afghans and "the Taliban also should benefit from it."
But he reiterated that the militant group needed to first break its ties with Al-Qaeda and renounce violence in order to join the political process.
Karzai's comments come after he visited Qatar over the weekend to discuss the formal opening of a political office there for the Taliban.
In an interview published on April 2 by the German daily newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung," Karzai said Omar "can give Afghans the opportunity to vote for or against him."
Karzai, whose term as president expires next year, added that the Afghan Constitution is valid for all Afghans and "the Taliban also should benefit from it."
But he reiterated that the militant group needed to first break its ties with Al-Qaeda and renounce violence in order to join the political process.
Karzai's comments come after he visited Qatar over the weekend to discuss the formal opening of a political office there for the Taliban.