Will provide security for peace talks: Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday he would guarantee security for Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar if he ever wanted to negotiate and said Western allies should remove him or leave if they disagreed.

With the Taliban insurgency spreading, seven years after hardline Islamists were ousted from power, the possibility of talks with more moderate Taliban leaders is increasingly being considered, both in Afghanistan and among its allies.

8220;If I hear from him that he is willing to come to Afghanistan or to negotiate for peace 8230; I, as the President of Afghanistan, will go to any length providing protection,8221; Karzai said. 8220;If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, the international community has two choices: remove me or leave if they disagree.8221;

Karzai said he was still waiting for the Taliban to prove that they wanted peace.