Saudi: No asylum offer to Taliban leader
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 05:26:00 11/23/2008
Filed Under: Diplomacy, Government
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – The Saudi government on Saturday denied reports that it has offered political asylum to Afghanistan's fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
A foreign ministry spokesman "denies totally the report ... according to which Saudi Arabia has offered political asylum to the Taliban leader," the state news agency SPA reported.
The German news magazine Der Spiegel, in its edition due to appear on Monday, said Saudi King Abdullah had offered asylum to Mullah Omar, quoting sources close to the Kabul government.
The sources said the offer was the result of mediation and pressure from Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US President George W. Bush as part of efforts to seal a reconciliation.
Karzai said earlier this month that he would go to "any length" to protect Mullah Omar if the Taliban leader agreed to peace talks.
The Afghan president has for years pushed for peace talks with the Taliban which ruled the country before a 2001 US-led invasion, as a way out of a deadly insurgency involving foreign militants, including Al-Qaeda.
The Taliban, driven from government for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the September 2001 terror attacks, have said they would only agree to negotiations if international troops leave Afghanistan.
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