Afghan President Hamid Karzai travels to Saudi Arabia to discuss reconciliation efforts
By APTuesday, February 2, 2010
Afghan leader to talk reconciliation with Saudis
KABUL — Afghan President Hamid Karzai is traveling to Saudi Arabia to discuss his reconciliation plan aimed at persuading Taliban militants to switch sides.
Saudi Arabia was one of the few countries that recognized the Taliban regime before it was ousted in 2001 and Saudi leaders have acted as intermediaries before.
A statement says Karzai left Tuesday for Saudi Arabia, where he’ll visit religious sites and meet with King Abdullah. It says they’ll discuss Afghanistan, the region and possible “solutions for reconciliation.”
Karzai has said Saudi Arabia’s role is extremely important for Afghanistan. The kingdom pledged an additional $150 million in aid to Afghanistan at last week’s London conference.
