Taliban denies claims of resuming talks with US

A Taliban spokesman denied that talks had resumed with the US or that any progress had been made since they were halted, CBS reported on Sunday. Shortly after Hamid Karzai's stinging rebuke, the news conference between the Afghan President and the defense secretary was scrubbed. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said the cancellation was not due to Karzai's remarks but related to security concerns. But it raises questions, and underscores the rising tensions between the United States and Afghanistan. The Taliban suspended talks with US negotiators a year ago saying Washington was giving mixed signals over a possible Afghan reconciliation process. But Karzai said the United States and the Taliban continue to hold "daily negotiations" in the Gulf state of Qatar, working in coordination to destabilize Afghanistan. He did not offer any proof. (MENA) MM/MD