KABUL (AA) - Afghanistan would not take part in peace talks with the Taliban unless the process was led by the Afghan government, President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday. "Unless the peace process is Afghanised, the High Peace Council is not attending the Taliban Qatar talks" said the statement issued by Afghanistan Presidency. The statement also said there was a contradiction between what the US government said and what it did. Afghanistan has earlier decided to suspend security agreement talks with the US following Washington's announcement to hold direct talks with the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban have so far refused to meet Karzai or his government, dismissing them as puppets of Washington. But on Tuesday the insurgents said they would meet with Afghans, suggesting they might meet the High Peace Council negotiators. The US met the Taliban secretly in 2011 in Qatar, but these would be the first open talks. In March 2012, the Taliban said it had suspended preliminary negotiations with Washington, citing US efforts to involve the Afghan government as a key stumbling block. The Taliban set up a diplomatic presence in Qatar in January 2012 and US officials held preliminary discussions there.
