KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Muslim extremist Taliban have agreed to two venues for negotiations with Afghanistan in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, party officials said.
Unidentified Afghan officials in Kabul told the BBC meetings will take place in coming weeks in Saudi Arabia before previously announced talks are held in Doha, Qatar.
The fundamentalist Taliban, which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 before their overthrow, have refused to recognize the government of President Hamid Karzai, but now appear interested in third-party talks and locations, the report said.
The talks in Qatar were orchestrated mostly by the United States and Qatar, which angered Karzai, who alleged his government had been marginalized, The New York Times reported. Last month, he recalled the Afghan ambassador to Qatar.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai told the BBC the country would participate nonetheless.
"The Afghan government welcomes any step that supports the peace process, and the Afghan government has various contacts with the armed opposition, including the Taliban," Mosazai said.
Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper said some Taliban officials are already in Qatar.
There was widespread speculation the U.S. focus would be on negotiating the return of three of its citizens being held by the Taliban. Five senior Taliban members are also being held at the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
