No talks with 'puppet' Karzai, Taliban say

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the Taliban in Afghanistan said Thursday he "strongly rejects" claims from Kabul that there have been talks with the "puppet administration."

Afghan President Hamid Karzai proposed reaching out to members of the Taliban as part of a broad-based national reconciliation measure. Washington said it backs the effort as long as the Taliban denounce violence and honor the spirit of the Afghan Constitution.

Karzai was quoted by The Wall Street Journal as saying "there have been contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban" as part of what the newspaper described as "secret three-way talks" that included U.S. officials.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly rejects Karzai's claims and adds that the representatives of Islamic Emirate have not talked with the puppet administration anywhere and have not even yet decided if they want to hold talks with the administration of Kabul," Taliban spokesman Zabibullah Mujahid said in a statement.

His comments come as Karzai travels to Pakistan for multilateral talks that are expected to focus on efforts to incorporate the Taliban into the peace process. The Taliban said they're reluctant to talk while international forces are in Afghanistan.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to participate in the talks Friday. The BBC reports discussion on the Taliban will likely take a back seat to Ahmadinejad's visit.