Saturday, December 13, 2008
House of Saud and Taliban: Part II
"Washington, too, has endorsed the concept of an expanded Saudi role in the region. State Department officials have praised Saudi efforts to combat , and White Housespokeswoman Dana Perino, speaking in mid-November 2008, said the Bush administration supports Karzai's initiatives to push for Saudi-brokered talks. While President Bush is "skeptical about what the Taliban's ultimate intentions are," Perino told reporters, the administration recognizes that "at some point there might be some Taliban willing to reconcile and to renounce violence and to be productive members of the Afghanistan society." Gen. David Petraeus, the new head of U.S. Central Command, has also expressed interest in engaging Saudi Arabia to help with the Taliban (NYT)."
