Saudi officials say the kingdom has no intention of getting involved in peacemaking in Afghanistan unless the Taliban severs ties with extremists and expels Saudi terror leader Osama bin Laden.
A Foreign Ministry official announced the condition as Afghan leader Hamid Karzai arrived in the kingdom on Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
Mr. Karzai is expected to discuss a Saudi role in his plan to reintegrate Taliban militants. At the conference on Afghanistan in London last week, Saudi pledged an additional $150 million in aid to the war-ravaged country.
But the Saudi foreign minister also said in London at the time his country wouldn’t mediate with Taliban unless the group expels bin Laden.
Keywords: Saudi Arabia, Taliban, bin Laden, expulsion, Afghanistan
