President Hamid Karzai has inaugurated a peace council appointed to broker an end to the war in Afghanistan, amid mounting reports about secret peace talks as the conflict entered a 10th year.
The High Peace Council is Karzai's brainchild for opening a dialogue with the Taliban and other insurgents who have been trying to topple his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their regime in late 2001.
"Dear elders, today's meeting is the inaugural meeting of our High Peace Council," Karzai told the start of the opening session at his heavily-fortified palace, renewing his call on the Taliban to come to the table.
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Nine years on
Although the president made no reference to the date, Thursday marked the the ninth anniversary since US-led operations began in Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to surrender Al-Qaeda leaders over the September 11 attacks.
Nine years later, the US military is losing record numbers of troops, record numbers of Afghan civilians are dying, the Taliban is more powerful than at any time since its ouster and the Afghan government increasingly discredited.
Karzai has hand-picked 68 people to sit on the council, which was set up following a nationwide peace conference in Afghanistan in June, to be joined by another two women after women activists pushed for greater representation.
Analysts have warned, however, that the council is so heavily stacked with warlords and militia leaders it could be set up for failure.
"I wish you, respected members, success and I wish our hopes come true -- the hope for peace and stability in the country," said Karzai.
He has sought to present the council as "independent," saying: the government "is your supporter. You can call on us should you need our help."
"To the opposition, be they the Taliban or anyone who wants to serve his country, we call on them to take the opportunity and respond to this effort and help bring peace to this country," he said.
No dialogue before withdrawal: Taliban
The Taliban leadership has repeatedly said it will not enter into dialogue with the Afghan government until all foreign troops -- currently more than 152,000 from the United States and NATO -- have left.
Although Western commanders say tentative progress is being made, there is increased US acceptance that the conflict will never stop without a negotiated end to the war.
US General David Petraeus, the NATO commander in Afghanistan who was credited with easing the quagmire in Iraq, has confirmed Taliban "overtures" to the Afghan government and foreign forces about quitting the fight.
Secret talks?
The Washington Post reported that Mullah Mohammad Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader believed to be hiding in Pakistan, has backed secret high-level talks with the Afghan government to negotiate an end to the war.
"They are very, very serious about finding a way out," a source close to the talks told the Post, referring to the Taliban.
The new negotiations involve agreements to allow Taliban leaders positions in the Afghan government and the withdrawal of US and NATO forces according to an agreed timetable, the newspaper said.
The White House this week backed the idea of Afghan government reconciliation talks with the Taliban, but said the United States was not a party to the reported contacts between Kabul and militia leaders.
But the British Guardian newspaper said Thursday that the Afghan and US governments have recently made contact with the Haqqani network, one of the most feared groups in Afghanistan and target of a major increase in US drone strikes.
The Haqqani leadership is based in North Waziristan, which lies outside direct government control in Pakistan's tribal northwest and is linked to an alleged terror plot against European cities.
Asked whether talks involving Haqqani, Karzai and the US were taking place, a senior Pakistani official was quoted as saying: "you wouldn't be wrong".
A White House report, which could further strain US-Pakistani ties, has warned that Pakistani forces are avoiding "direct conflict" in North Waziristan.
