‘Vague US’ blamed for suspended peace talks

AFGHANISTAN: Faint hopes of a quick negotiated settlement to the Afghan war were dashed yesterday when the Taleban suspended peace talks in Qatar.

The Taleban described the Americans’ attitude as ‘‘shaky, erratic and vague’’ in a colourful post on their website that coincided with an order from President Karzai that the United States should move all combat troops back to their main bases after the slaughter of 16 civilians by a renegade soldier.

The US had hoped for progress this year towards a negotiated settlement and the start of a smooth withdrawal of foreign forces.

Instead, after the burning of Korans, the killings in Kandahar and yesterday’s announcement, the mission in Afghanistan is lurching towards its annus horribilis.

The two sides’ slow steps toward meaningful dialogue have been compromised by mutual distrust and the role played by the Karzai government, which the Taleban again characterised as a puppet of the US.

The Taleban accused an unnamed American official of ‘‘unacceptable’’ demands that were in contradiction to an earlier memorandum of understanding. ‘‘We must categorically state that the real source of obstacle in talks was the shaky, erratic and vague standpoint of the Americans.’’

It accused Karzai of falsely claiming that he and the Americans were jointly engaged in talks with members of the insurgent group.

At about the same time, Karzai released a statement saying that he had told the visiting US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to order US troops to withdraw from the countryside and complete the combat mission by 2013.

‘‘Afghan security forces have the ability to keep the security in rural areas and in villages on their own.’’

The US soldier being held in military custody over the killing of 16 civilians has been flown out of Afghanistan to a military base in Kuwait. The Taleban made no mention of that incident.

Responding to Karzai’s call, a Nato spokeswoman said that half the Afghan population was in areas where transition to control by Afghan security forces had taken place. ‘‘Nato remains committed to enabling the Afghan security forces to take full responsibility for security as soon as practically possible.’’

An Afghan who died of burns in a suicide vehicle attack at the British-run Camp Bastion airfield in Helmand province on Thursday appears to have launched his solo mission after spotting a welcoming party of US Marines waiting for the arrival of the American Defence Secretary.

Although the would-be assassin was an interpreter working for the British at the base in central Helmand, Pentagon officials said that there was no reason to believe he had prior knowledge of Panetta’s visit.