From Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jun 21 (PTI) The United States has said it has not diluted its stand on peace talks with the Taliban, even as it has established "preliminary contacts" with the terror outfit.
"... Those are firm redlines because without renouncing violence, without accepting the Afghan constitution, and without cutting their ties with al-Qaida, these Taliban extremists have not rot really renounced extremism. Those are the basics for reconciliation," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Stating that many countries have had these kinds of contacts with the Taliban, Nuland said the US has had "some preliminary contacts."
"I think the main goal from our perspective is an Afghan-led process of national reconciliation. We have had our feelers and we continue to have very preliminary contacts, but that's as far as it's gone.