British ministers call for talks with moderate Taliban

Britain which has suffered casualties in recent weeks in Afghanistan has voiced support for engaging moderate elements in Taliban with a government minister comparing the proposed dialogue with deal made with radicals in Northern Ireland.
 
The call for engaging with moderate Taliban came from foreign secretary David Miliband in a speech to NATO and international developmental secretary Douglas Alexander in an interview to BBC Radio.
 
Alexnader currently on a visit to Afghanistan advocated that along side military action, efforts towards achieving a political solution should be made.
 
The crucial comments from British ministers came amid a political storm in the country over a wave of casualties to British troops. While 20 have died this month alone, so far 189 have been killed since the 'Operation Endurance' against the Taliban began in 2001.
 
"I think people recognise from the experience in Northern Ireland that it is necessary to put military pressure on Taliban while at the same time holding out a prospect that there can be a political process," Alexander told BBC.
 
He said the process can be started with those willing to renounce violence and looking for a different path.
 
His colleague Miliband echoed similar sentiments at a NATO meeting in Brussels, saying a political coalition that would include Taliban elements currently fighting western forces needed to be built to secure Afghanistan's future.
 
Taliban elements who are willing to renounce violence should be reintegrated into society, Miliband said, and asked other NATO members to contribute more to the military effort.
 
Noting recent deaths of British soldiers, Miliband said the fight against the Taliban in the south of Afghanistan had caused a "heavy toll", but added that the ongoing Operation Panther's Claw had also made "significant gains".
 
According to Miliband, Taliban fighters should be re-integrated into society and, in some cases, given a role in local and central government.