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John Roberts and Kiran Chetry each talk to Michael about the Pakistan exclusive, and we also hear from US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke on the administration's position regarding talking with the Taliban leadership.
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KIRAN CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the
Morning. A developing story you'll see only on CNN.
Pakistan's military says it is in contact with the
top Taliban leader in Afghanistan. And they say they
can bring him to the negotiating table to talk to
U.S. officials. Now, the White House said to be
considering this plan. Our Michael Ware broke this
exclusive story. He joins us live from Baghdad.
So Michael, White House special envoy Richard
Holbrooke says that Pakistan talking with the Taliban
is a step forward. And President Obama said during
the campaign that America has to talk with its
enemies. So, where do you think this leaves us?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this could
theoretically be the first -- the beginning of the
end. I mean, certainly in terms of baby steps on the
long road that it would take to reach a political
conclusion. But what's significant this morning,
Kiran, is that from the president's personal envoy,
Ambassador Holbrooke, we're hearing the Obama
administration's initial response to this
extraordinary Pakistani offer to help broker talks,
an offer the Bush administration waited fruitlessly
seven years to hear.
So, let us take a listen to what Ambassador Holbrooke
said about the nature of the Pakistani moves at
reconciliation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR
AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN: The United States supports
any effort at reconciliation as long as the efforts
of reconciliation include laying down your arms,
accepting the constitution, and -- and, Michael, I
want to stress this -- breaking with al Qaeda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARE: And as the so-called godfather of the Taliban,
the former head of Pakistan's equivalent of the ISI,
told me in a separate on- camera interview such a
break between the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden, a man
that this former spy chief has known for decades, is
possible. So now it's up to the Obama administration
how they respond to this Pakistani offer, Kiran.
CHETRY: The interesting thing when you heard what
some of those conditions would be if the U.S. was to
talk with Mullah Omar and others. The Taliban is not
just against the United States, but also against the
government in Afghanistan right now. So how would -
how could you trust that if they indeed agreed to lay
down arms that when we left that wouldn't change?
WARE: Well, that's why you need the involvement of
the regional players. America shouldn't be, according
to some, the regional policemen. That should be up to
the Pakistanis who share a border there, the Indians
who have heavily invested in the governments in
Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and Iran. And we
hear from a recent Taliban statement that what
they're fighting for is self-governance, the ethnic
Pashtuns of the south don't feel they have
representation in the capital. And that's one of the
things they're fighting for.
Nonetheless, the Obama administration is open to
these talks in the hope that it will lead to the
political solution that everyone's waiting for.
Again, let's turn to Ambassador Holbrooke and our
exclusive interview. Let's have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLBROOKE: Let me be very clear. I'm neither going to
rule out or rule in something on such a hypothetical
basis and I'm not going to get drawn into speculation
on an issue this complicated. But I want to
underscore existing policy that has been addressed by
everybody in the U.S. government from the president
on down: there is room in Afghanistan for Taliban
people who have fought with the Taliban who are
willing to participate in a political structure, who
are willing to disassociate and renounce al Qaeda,
and who are willing to lay down their arms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The
first steps in ending what's become President Obama's
war in Afghanistan, we're going to have to watch very
closely to wait and see -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes. Very, very interesting development,
though. Michael Ware, who broke this story for us on
Friday. Thanks.