zimv20
Apr 15, 2005, 01:34 PM
link (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0504150300apr15,1,872605.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed)
Afghan officials work on amnesty plan
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan government has a message for Taliban members hiding in the mountains or other countries: Come home.
Taliban members who are not criminals are welcome in the new Afghanistan, officials say. The government goal is simple: To weaken the Taliban insurgency, especially before parliamentary elections this fall.
"Every Afghan who has not returned because of fear, they should no longer have that fear," presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said. "They should come back."
That has been the government's unofficial policy for three years, almost since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. But in recent months officials have courted Taliban members aggressively. The negotiations have been kept quiet, and often they involve sending tribal leaders to meet with Taliban members in remote areas. President Hamid Karzai is soon expected to announce details of an official amnesty program.
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan also has supported amnesty for moderate Taliban members because it could help undercut the insurgency. But amnesty has been controversial, especially among people who believe all former Taliban members should face trial.
"The government is making a mistake," said Abdulkhalegh Zaligh, deputy governor of Bamiyan province. "The element called `Talib' will bring destruction to Afghanistan again. It's not a good idea to bring them back."
(more)
Afghan officials work on amnesty plan
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan government has a message for Taliban members hiding in the mountains or other countries: Come home.
Taliban members who are not criminals are welcome in the new Afghanistan, officials say. The government goal is simple: To weaken the Taliban insurgency, especially before parliamentary elections this fall.
"Every Afghan who has not returned because of fear, they should no longer have that fear," presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said. "They should come back."
That has been the government's unofficial policy for three years, almost since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. But in recent months officials have courted Taliban members aggressively. The negotiations have been kept quiet, and often they involve sending tribal leaders to meet with Taliban members in remote areas. President Hamid Karzai is soon expected to announce details of an official amnesty program.
The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan also has supported amnesty for moderate Taliban members because it could help undercut the insurgency. But amnesty has been controversial, especially among people who believe all former Taliban members should face trial.
"The government is making a mistake," said Abdulkhalegh Zaligh, deputy governor of Bamiyan province. "The element called `Talib' will bring destruction to Afghanistan again. It's not a good idea to bring them back."
(more)
