Sada-e Azadi

President Hamid Karzai has set out the details for a plan to reach out to the Taliban and said that “reconciliation” is one of his top priorities.

At a conference in London attended by almost 70 nations at the end of January he declared his intention to set up a national council for peace and reconciliation.

Karzai said that Afghanistan “must reach out to all of our countrymen, especially to our disenchanted brothers, who are not part of Al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks, who accept the Afghan Constitution.”

Karzai asked for the help of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in the negotiations. He also asked for the support of Pakistan.

Karzai plans to hold a Loya Jirga, or council, within weeks to which Taliban will be invited.

At the same conference, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said the US supported a plan for “reintegration” - convincing low- to mid-level Taliban fighters to rejoin society with jobs, money and protection from Taliban retaliation.

Japanese officials said they would contribute $50 million to a fund to support reintegration.

In a move seen as a boost to Karzai’s plan, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani pledged his support to rebuilding the country.

In an interview, Ghani said: ““I’m not serving in the government, but this is an issue of national interest. When it comes to national interest, Karzai and I are one. The election is over. He is the president.”

At the conference Karzai also restated his vow to tackle corruption and improve governance. It was also agreed that the process to start the handover of security provision from international to Afghan forces would start later this year.