Obama may back talks with Taliban

President Obama signaled Wednesday that, despite his earlier hesitation, he may embrace a plan by his Afghan counterpart to reconcile with certain Taliban leaders in hopes of uniting the country and ending a conflict that has stretched nearly nine years.

By Peter Nicholas and Paul Richter

Hamid Karzai

WASHINGTON - President Obama signaled Wednesday that, despite his earlier hesitation, he may embrace a plan by his Afghan counterpart to reconcile with certain Taliban leaders in hopes of uniting the country and ending a conflict that has stretched nearly nine years.

Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, speaking at a joint White House news conference, downplayed grievances that had flared in recent months.

"With respect to perceived tensions between the U.S. government and the Afghan government, let me begin by saying a lot of them were simply overstated," Obama said, with Karzai by his side.

But they said tensions were bound to recur and difficult work remained in addressing one another's concerns, such as corruption in the Afghan government and civilian casualties resulting from U.S.-led military action.

Karzai warned last month he might join the Taliban insurgency rather than yield to foreign pressure to overhaul his government. He also accused Western powers of rigging elections and morphing into an invading force.

But after two days of meetings in Washington and a session with Obama, Karzai seemed determined to set aside suspicions.

Karzai has been treated with enormous deference throughout his visit. He met with congressional leaders Wednesday and later was a dinner guest at the official residence of Vice President Joseph Biden.

The courtesies are meant to reassure Karzai he is a valued partner, critical to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

Karzai said he was committed to helping the White House meet its goals: defeating extremists, ridding his government of corruption and setting up a viable security force that can step in once the U.S. starts withdrawing troops in July 2011.

"We are in a campaign against terrorism together," Karzai said. "There are days that we are happy; there are days that we are not happy. It's a mutual relationship towards a common objective."

Karzai has used the visit to get concessions of his own. He wants the U.S.-led coalition forces to curb the rate of civilian casualties, and he is asking for control of prisons and detention facilities operated by the United States.

Obama pledged cooperation on both counts.

But Karzai also is looking for Obama to endorse a peace plan that carries a politically risky element: reconciling with some of the Taliban's leaders. To date, the administration has been cool to the idea.

While the Afghan war is unpopular at home, many Americans are likely to be further dismayed at the thought of making amends with figures who have killed hundreds of U.S. troops.

While Obama said he was open to reconciliation talks, he added an important caveat.

To maximize leverage in such negotiations, the coalition needs more success in routing the Taliban, he said.

After returning to Afghanistan, Karzai plans to convene a "jirga," or national assembly, that will help determine the shape of future peace talks.