Wednesday, 19 June 2013 03:11
Posted by Asad Naeem
LOUGH ERNE: President Barack Obama on Tuesday called planned US talks with the Taliban an "important first step" to ending the Afghanistan war but warned of a long and bumpy road ahead.US officials plan to meet with Taliban representatives in the insurgent group's newly opened office in Qatar to discuss a more peaceful exit from the decade-long war launched in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks."An Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process is the best way to end the violence and to ensure lasting stability in Afghanistan and the region," Obama said after meeting with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland."This is an important first step towards reconciliation. Although it's a very early step -- we anticipate there will be a lot of bumps in the road -- but the fact that the parties have an opportunity to talk ...