(November 21, 2010) : Afghan factions held a third meeting at a holiday resort in the Maldives to discuss national reconciliation in their war-torn homeland, the Maldivian foreign minister said on Saturday. Details of the latest intra-Afghan talks held at Paradise Island resort were not immediately known.
"The Maldives supports efforts to reconcile the Afghan people" but is not formally hosting the talks, Maldivian foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed told AFP in Colombo during a visit to Sri Lanka. The talks were held in the second week of this month but only came to public attention this week. Maldivian media reports said Saturday about 60 Afghan figures attended the discussions. Two previous meetings in the Maldives were held in May and January.
In May, US-based monitors said the meetings were being organised by a relative of warlord and former Afghan premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. News of the latest meeting came as Nato, which is leading the fight against the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, and its allies held a summit in Lisbon to seek an exit strategy from the country. Earlier this week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged the Taliban to join talks to bring peace, despite the insurgents' leadership ruling out negotiations
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