The arrests brought more pressure on the Taliban and the move was good for the military operation in Afghanistan, US special envoy Holbrooke said. –Photo by APP WASHINGTON: The United States is “extremely gratified” that Pakistan has arrested key Taliban leaders, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke said on Friday when asked to comment on a former UN official’s statement that the arrests had squandered Afghan peace efforts.
At a briefing at the State Department on the US-Pakistan strategic dialogue, Mr Holbrooke also indicated greater US interests in helping Pakistan overcome the grave energy crisis that has paralysed the Pakistani economy.
“These will be very broad and very complex” talks, said Mr Holbrooke when asked if the US would also consider Pakistan’s request for nuclear reactors for producing electricity.
Mr Holbrooke came to the briefing from the White House where he attended a meeting of senior US officials who will participate in the strategic dialogue with Pakistan.
He described the forthcoming talks as the most important ever between the two countries and also said that the level of participation would be higher than ever before.
Mr Holbrooke confirmed that Gen Ashfaq Kayani, US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, Chairman of Joints Chiefs of Staff Adm Mike Mullen and other military officials will participate in the dialogue. Pakistan, he said, was also sending its director general for military operations. The DGMO usually focuses on India and his participation indicates that relations between the two neighbours may also figure prominently in the talks.
But one issue that got immediate attention emerged from a statement earlier on Friday by Kai Eide, the former UN special representative to Afghanistan. In an interview to BBC, he said that the arrest of key Taliban leaders in Pakistan blocked a secret channel of communications between the United Nations and the militant Afghan group.
“We are extremely gratified that Pakistan apprehended the number two (Taliban leader) and others,” said Mr Holbrooke when asked if the US supported the move. He said the arrests brought “more pressure” on the Taliban than before and the move was “good for the military operation” in Afghanistan.
Mr Holbrooke’s statement differs sharply from Mr Eide’s who claimed that the detentions had a “negative” effect on attempts to find a political solution to the eight-year-old
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