RIYADH: A senior Saudi official called on the Taliban to lay down their arms and renounce Al-Qaeda as preconditions for Saudi-mediated peace talks with the Afghan government.
"Saudi Arabia's conditions for mediation ... are that the Taliban lay down their weapons, engage in the political process and renounce Al-Qaeda," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"These are our three demands, and they have not changed in three years," he added.
The Taliban, leading a 10-year insurgency against Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government, have denied reports of planned peace talks in Saudi Arabia, despite claims by Afghan officials that the two sides would hold talks in the kingdom separate from those planned in Qatar.
Taliban negotiators have begun preliminary discussions with the United States in Qatar on plans for peace talks aimed at ending the decade-long war. They have also announced plans to set up an office in Doha.
In late January, Afghan government spokesman Akim Hasher said Kabul has "always preferred Saudi to Qatar." (AFP)
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