Saudi Arabia halts Afghan mediation

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal has said that Riyadh has halted mediation efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban because the fundamentalist movement has refused to break ties with al-Qaida.

Last February, Afghan President Hamid Karzai sent a small delegation of former Taliban members to Saudi Arabia to seek help in kick-starting talks with the Taliban.

The Saudis, however have said that the kingdom would not help unless the Taliban ends all ties with Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network. That is also a key demand of both the U.S. and Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports.

The Taliban is unwilling to hold formal peace talks until the U.S. agrees to a timetable to withdraw all foreign troops, it added. (ANI)