Taliban who abjure violence can be brought in mainstream: Krishna

In a shift of stand, India today said Taliban elements who abjure violence and follow the Afghan constitution can be brought into the mainstream of the political process.

Speaking to reporters on board a special aircraft on his way back from Kuwait, external affairs minister SM Krishna said the political process in Afghanistan has to be Afghan-led.

This Afghan-driven political process will necessarily have to deal with the Taliban, he added.

"India feels so long as Taliban dissociates itself from other terrorist organisations and abjures violence and subscribes to the Afghan constitution and those (elements) who go along with the democratic process under president Karzai's leadership...perhaps they can be brought into the mainstream of the Afghan political process," he said.    

Pointing out that Afghanistan was going through a very difficult process, the minister said the political process in that country has to be carried forward.Earlier, India's stand was that there is no good or bad Taliban and this should not confuse the issues of terror.

Krishna said Afghan president Karzai feels that the international opinion has found expression at the recent London conference on Afghanistan and "the political process must continue as no military solution is in sight".

On Sri Lanka, he said India sincerely hopes that president Mahinda Rajapakse will utilise the mandate given in his favour to bring about a settlement with all ethnic minorities in that country.