Taliban rejects Afghan's offer to talk

Taliban leader Mullah Omar was offered safe passage.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Taliban militants rejected an offer of peace talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, saying yesterday there would be no negotiations until foreign troops leave Afghanistan.

Karzai offered Sunday to provide security for Taliban leader Mullah Omar if he enters negotiations and said the United States and other Western nations could leave Afghanistan or oust him if they disagree.

But Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said there could be no talks while foreign troops are in the country.

"The Taliban's [leadership] decided they will not take part in any peace talks with Karzai or Karzai's administration until such a day when foreign forces leave Afghanistan," Mujahid said.

"The Taliban will pursue jihad against foreign forces and [Karzai's] government," he said.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack questioned Karzai's security guarantee.

"One can't imagine the circumstances where you have the senior leadership of the Taliban - that there would be any safe passage with respect to US forces. Certainly, it's hard to imagine those circumstances," McCormack said.

Karzai has dismissed the demand for foreign troops to leave, saying they are needed to keep Afghanistan safe. He has long supported drawing the Taliban into the political mainstream if they accept the country's constitution and repudiate Al Qaeda.

ASSOCIATED PRESS