Canada reaches out to Taliban

The talking head McKay has "firmly" rejected this. Wonder if some heads will roll......

McKay is right, that it's not the place of the troops to draft policy, not is it the place of the NATO members. The only people that have the "authoity" to do this is the Afghan government themselves.

That said, these insurections usually end with some form of negotiation and this isn't suprising. I doubt they can find any middle ground with such religious fanatics though.

Thats the way to have a unified front

Round em up and kill them thats the best way break there will to resist,

hmmm Mackay knowing something... strange very strange...

''Taliban Steve''?

''Taliban Pete''?

you need to keep up with the news..quit reading those anti-american rags

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/Afghan/20 ... 6-sun.html

Minister blasts troops' Taliban talks

Negotiating not military's job: MacKay

By THE CANADIAN PRESS








KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN -- Members of the Canadian military who have been encouraging low- and mid-level Taliban to talk with Afghan authorities were out of line, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said yesterday.

A Toronto newspaper quoted Lt.-Col. Gordon Corbould, the new battle group commander, and Sgt. Tim Seeley, a civilian-military co-operation officer for Canada's Provincial Reconstruction Team, on Thursday as saying that channels were being opened to moderate Taliban.

Other officials in Kandahar, who spoke privately, backed up the military's assessment, calling it creative thinking.

But they were sternly corrected by the minister.

HARDLINE STAND


"They certainly don't speak for the government of Canada," MacKay said from Halifax. He repeated the Conservatives' hardline stand that Canada does not negotiate directly with terrorists.

The idea that Canadian soldiers would be working with Afghans to encourage militants in the war-ravaged province to lay down their weapons and talk has won high praise in Kandahar City. But MacKay said reconciliation isn't something that Canadians can make happen, saying it's an "initiative that must be led by" Afghans.

In Kabul, a high-level international committee called the Policy Action Group -- which includes Canada, the U.S., Britain and the Afghan government -- is trying to agree on the scope of talks with top Taliban commanders.

Well, according to your own article, the government is willing to talk to the Taliban (the Policy Action Group bit).

Canadian Government......????