Afghan Taliban deny they're ready to talk peace

The Taliban denied Wednesday that the movement is planning direct talks with the Afghan government to end the 10-year-old war, while a leaked NATO report suggested the insurgents are confident they will regain power after international troops leave.While both developments were setbacks to Afghan President Hamid Karzais efforts to broker peace, his government got a boost from Pakistans top diplomat who declared her nations support for an Afghan-led reconciliation process.Our only prerequisite to be supportive of an initiative is that it should be Afghan-led. It should be Afghan-owned. It should be Afghan-driven and Afghan-backed, Pakistans Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said at the Afghan Foreign Ministry.While she didnt mention the United States, Afghan officials have complained privately that the peace effort has so far been dominated by American efforts and talks with Taliban representatives. Washington insists it is only setting the stage, and any eventual talks must involve Karzais government.The Taliban were responding to widespread reports that Karzais government was seeking direct talks with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia a move seen as an attempt by the Afghan leader to take charge of the peace effort.Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected those reports as baseless, saying in a statement that exploratory talks between the insurgency and the U.S. and its allies have not yet reached the stage for negotiations.Before the negotiation phase, there should be trust-building between the sides, which has not started yet, Mujahid said.The Taliban calls the Afghan government a puppet regime. The insurgency, however, has agreed to set up a political office in the Gulf state of Qatar and has acknowledged having preliminary discussions with the Americans.