Can we talk about "Talking to Al Qaeda" ?

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Saturday March 15, 2008 16:17 by fnord

Western governments must talk to terror groups including al-Qaida and the Taliban if they hope to secure a long-term halt to their campaigns of violence, according to the man who for more than a decade was Tony Blair's most influential aide and adviser. Jonathan Powell, who served as Blair's chief of staff from 1995 to 2007 and is widely regarded as having been instrumental in negotiating a settlement in Northern Ireland, said his experience in the province convinced him that it was essential to keep a line of communication open even with one's most bitter enemies. Powell said: "There's nothing to say to al-Qaida and they've got nothing to say to us at the moment, but at some stage you're going to have to come to a political solution as well as a security solution. And that means you need the ability to talk."

Guardian article :-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/15/uksecurity.alqaida

Mr Powell's doesn't mean you're all to start going off & talking to Al Qaeda or the Taleban. Especially if you wash between your toes morning-noon & night. What he means is that western governments such as the UK ought come clean about talking to Al Qaeda & the Taleban. Not quite full disclosure published dialogues - but a p-r-o-c-e-s-s.

Laying the table kind of stuff. Inviting people round for a bit of quid pro quo

Of course sensible people who enjoy peace & know terrorists are terrorists and understand democracy & its values are rushing to condemn Mr Powell's kite flying exercise as gurgling shite. His shocking thoughts have broken the news in the last few hours.

".......The Foreign Office on Saturday dismissed as "inconceivable" calls by an ex-aide to former Prime Minister Tony Blair to open a channel of communication with al Qaeda......."
http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL1540182...80315

"......Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ruled out talking directly to the Taliban but its alleged efforts to open a dialogue with militants have apparently soured relations between London and Afghan.
Two senior diplomats from the United Nations and European Union -- one British and the other Irish -- were expelled from Afghanistan late last year after contacting Taliban-linked insurgents in southern Helmand province. One of them, Michael Semple, defended their actions in an interview with The Guardian published February 16, saying: "There isn't a serious actor in Afghanistan who says the only way forward is to fight your way out............"
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jzJFODuxJaLvzlKCeIi...2Jx_g

& The Telegraph's take - "Should the Government hold talks with terrorists?"

you see how quid pro quo jumps from a sat-phone number you don't lock cruise missiles guidance codes on....... to "talks".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/20...5.xml

Yep the table is laid. Now who speaks for Al Qaeda? The people who said they did Bhutto or the people that said they didn't? Oh but I bore you......... It would be wrong time to bring the international drug trade into it. Way over your heads then.