| | US "extremely gratified" by Pak arrest of Baradar: Holbrooke The Nation
03/20/2010
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At a press briefing on the upcoming Strategic Dialogue between the Untied States and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said the U.S. was “extremely gratified that the Pakistani Government has apprehended the number-two person in the Taliban.”
His reaction comes shortly on the back of revelations by former UN staff that secret negotiations with the Taliban for greater peace in Afghanistan might have slowed down due to the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Afghan Taliban’s number two commander.
Mr. Holbrooke said many other militants and groups have been picked up or eliminated, and this is increasing the pressure on the Taliban; he added that this was “a good thing for the simplest of reasons: It is good for the military efforts that are underway in Afghanistan.”
Mr. Holbrooke was asked about the revelation by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistani authorities began arresting senior Afghan Taliban leaders like Baradar.
Reacting to the question about revelations by former UN Representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide that he was in talks with senior Taliban leaders since last spring and that those talks were shut down after the Pakistan arrested Baradar, he said, the arrest “is not related to the issue that you’re addressing.” President Karzai has said he wanted a reconciliation program with all Afghans, including people fighting with the Taliban and President Obama has said we support Afghan-led reconciliation, Mr. Holbrooke said.
On the importance of the talks to U.S.-Pakistan relationships Mr. Holbrooke said, “It marks a major intensification of our partnership, and we welcome the extremely high caliber delegation which Pakistan is sending. It will be lead, of course, by Foreign Minister Qureshi..” He added that President Obama and Secretary Clinton have long stressed the breadth and depth of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship: “This is a partnership that goes far beyond security, but security’s an important part of it,” he said.
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