Taliban suspend contacts with US

The Taliban said Thursday it had suspended contacts with the United States in Qatar, just days after an American shooting spree left 16 Afghans dead, dealing a blow to hopes of a peace process. "It was due to their alternating and ever-changing position that the Islamic Emirate was compelled to suspend all dialogue with the Americans," a statement posted on the Taliban website said, making no mention of Sunday's murders. Instead, the militia complained that an American representative presented a list of conditions in the latest meeting with the Taliban "which were not only unacceptable but also in contradiction with the earlier agreed upon points". The statement confirmed that Taliban representatives had held talks in Qatar with their U.S. counterparts over a prisoner exchange as well as the opening of a liaison office in the Gulf state. "We must categorically state that the real source of obstacle in talks was the shaky, erratic and vague standpoint of the Americans therefore all the responsibility for the halt also falls on their shoulders," it said. It dismissed as "baseless" claims by President Hamid Karzai that Kabul had jointly begun talks with the Taliban in Qatar. The Taliban have in the past branded Karzai a "puppet" and refused publicly to deal with his government. The statement indicated that the rebels could resume talks "when the Americans clarify their stance on the issues concerned and... they show willingness in carrying out their promises instead of wasting time."