Taliban leader says peace talk 'just enemies' propaganda'

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-23 16:52

KABUL -- Taliban elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar in a statement released on Tuesday once again rejected that no peace talk with Afghan government ever existed, adding "it is just one of the enemies' propaganda".

Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, the purported Taliban spokesman, read the statement through mobile phone to media from an unknown hide out.

"The enemies directly or indirectly used media making propaganda such as so called 'peace talk' in Saudi Arabia and my proposals for talk ," the statement quoted the Taliban chief as saying.

Omar said that there was no talk in Saudi Arabia and rebuffed it as "not true and baseless". He added he has never sent or received any invitation or message for the peace talk.

An Iranian television channel Press TV broadcast a statement said to be from Mullah Omar on December 19 that he has forwarded a new formula to end conflicts and bring about peace in his war-torn country including setting up timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, replacing peacekeeping troops of the NATO and U.S. troops with soldiers from Muslim countries and consolidation of the Taliban fighters into the Afghan army.

Omar, who has not been seen in public since ousting from power by U.S.-led troops in late 2001, had previously conditioned any talks with President Hamid Karzai's government with the complete pullout of more than 70,000-strong international forces from Afghanistan.

With mediation of Saudi Arabian Kingdom, a meeting was held between Taliban and pro-government figures including some Afghan parliamentarians in Riyadh some three months ago, according to media reports.