Canada's top military commander in Afghanistan won't negotiate with Taliban
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) ? Canada's military commander in Afghanistan says negotiating with the Taliban doesn't lead anywhere.
Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche puts it simply: "I don't talk to the Taliban." But he says military strategy alone won't bring order and peace to a country that has been ravaged for more than a generation by war, tribal rivalries and competing warlords.
Laroche shares the opinion of U.S. Maj.-Gen. Robert Cone, who's in charge of equipping and training Afghan security forces to take over from international troops.
Cone has said military force alone probably won't be enough to defeat the Taliban, known for its harsh interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
He says most insurgencies are resolved with a political solution in the end.
For his part, Laroche says he has regular discussions with Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government, the police chief for the southern Kandahar province, the country's army and other players about the situation in Afghanistan.
In an interview Thursday, Laroche noted that soldiers from Quebec's Royal 22nd Regiment, who have been in Afghanistan since the beginning of the summer, have seen "a lot of political action" to try to bring people together in a spirit of reconstruction from the Zhari-Panjwaii districts of Kandahar province.
"It's very difficult," he acknowledged.
"I think we must remain patient. We're going to see progress, I'm sure of it. Progress is never quick enough but I am optimistic."
After years of an international military presence, the Taliban are still putting up fierce resistance to better-armed NATO forces.
Some western observers argue the time has come to start negotiations with the Taliban, which doesn't recognize the authority of Karzai's government.
However, many countries including Canada do not believe in negotiating with groups associated with the terrorist ideology of al-Qaida.
On Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said "Canada does not negotiate with terrorists, for any reason."
Bernier said "such negotiations, even if unsuccessful, only lead to further acts of terrorism."
The federal government has expressed regret that South Korea negotiated with the Taliban for the release of 19 South Koreans held hostage in Afghanistan.
Canada has about 2,300 soldiers in southern Afghanistan, as well as Canadian diplomats, development officials and non-government workers.
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5htEvqjRjf9lp3uJSxBqGqt2OjFCw
