AP: Purported Taliban Spokesman Rejects Talks Offer by Afghan President

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http://start.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20060109/43c1edd0_3421_1334520060109-912902168

Purported Taliban spokesman rejects talks offer by Afghan president
From Associated Press
January 09, 2006 8:27 AM EST
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A purported Taliban spokesman Monday rejected any offer of talks from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while a statement he attributed to fugitive insurgent leader Mullah Omar vowed to intensify attacks.

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"We reject the offer of talks by Karzai," Mohammed Hanif, who claims to speak for the Taliban, said in a call to an AP reporter in neighboring Pakistan. "Karzai is nothing but a mouthpiece of Americans. Such offers are nothing but a move to weaken our morale."

He said that the Taliban would not hold talks with the Afghan government "if foreign occupation troops are in Afghanistan."

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Hours after Hanif called, the AP was sent a written statement purportedly by Omar. Speaking later, the Taliban spokesman claimed it was authentic.

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