Top UN official in Afghanistan criticizes Miliband's 'moderate' Taliban strategy

London, Aug.2 (ANI): UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special representative for Afghanistan, Kai Eide has rejected British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's views of initiating dialogue with the so called 'moderate' or the 'good' Taliban.

Eide said it is useless to negotiate with the 'second or third' tier of the Taliban to end the Afghan conflict.

Stressing on the need of an 'all inclusive' talks, Eide said the process of holding talks with the local Taliban commanders would not materialize until top commanders of the outfit are contacted.

"If you want important results you need to talk to people who are important. We won't get where we want by negotiating with local commanders on the ground. That's an inadequate peace process and that won't work," he said.

Edie said holding talks with other Taliban commanders would serve no purpose, and that the authorities must try to get in touch with Mullah Omar, one-eyed Taliban leader, and his ruling council, the Quetta shura.

"If you engage partially you will have partial results. We have to have a political process that is all-inclusive. That's the only way to bring this conflict to an end," The Times quoted Edie, as saying.

It may be recalled that Miliband, last week, had said that NATO must change its strategies on Afghanistan to facilitate talks with moderate elements of the Taliban.

In a speech delivered at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Miliband said that while it was vital to keep pressing forward with the military campaign against the insurgents, it would also be prudent to start a Northern Ireland-style dialogue with the enemy.

Miliband also asked Allies to support the Afghan government and to help it to play a role in working for the reconciliation once the fighting stopped. (ANI)