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THE UNITED STATES has not scheduled talks with the Taliban, the State Department said today, after reports that discussions with the Afghan insurgent group could begin this week in Qatar.
“Reports of a meeting being scheduled or on the books aren’t accurate,” spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, saying Washington had “never confirmed” the date and place of any specific meeting.
We are now in consultations with the Afghan leadership and the High Peace Council on how to move forward.
Office
Several reports had said US-Taliban talks would be held Thursday in the Qatari capital of Doha, where the militant group driven from power in Kabul in 2001 had opened a political office.
But amid a row over the Taliban’s naming of its newly-opened office, Psaki confirmed that US special envoy James Dobbins had not left Washington on Tuesday as planned for the talks.
A senior administration official later indicated, however, that it was hoped the talks would be held “in the next few days,” without giving any precision on timing, or where they would be held.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has headed the US-backed Afghan government since the US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks brought down the Taliban, opposes bilateral US-Taliban talks.
And on Wednesday, he broke off separate ongoing Afghan-US talks on an agreement to allow Washington to maintain soldiers in Afghanistan after a NATO combat mission ends next year.
The row centered on the Taliban office calling itself the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” — the formal name of its 1996-2001 government — and portraying itself as a state in exile, officials said.
“We do not recognize the name Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” Psaki said, adding that US Secretary of State John Kerry had made that clear in two phone calls in the past 24 hours with Karzai.
Kerry also “noted that the government of Qatar has taken steps today to ensure that the political office is in compliance with the conditions established by the government of Qatar for its operations,” the spokeswoman added.
The office must not be treated as or represent itself as an embassy or other office representing the Afghan Taliban as an emirate government or sovereign.
Star Plan??? Featuring Luke Sky Worker who travels the galatic mounting Sky TV dishes at a very reasonable price.
@Luke Lee: The Debt Star…..
@Luke Lee: Luke sky wok …
I’d say the manufacturers now are brickin’ it
@Tom Nolan: class
@Tom Nolan: I clicked the link precisely to see how early in the comment thread someone made that joke
“Rego”
@David Daly: just about acceptable I think
@David Daly: hahaha
@David Daly: you are confusing Chinese with Japanese people. Irish people don’t like to be “confused” with British people.
@Vincent: how silly of me. And to think all these years I was going around like a big eegit thinking they were chinese. Thanks so much for clarifying.
Glad the officials have been able to piece this together
Is this true or just a load of blocks?
I thought learning to create your own was the whole point… :)
took a while to build a case
The puns are getting atrocious! Time to Lego and move on…
Break it up,break it up,nothing to see here
The ring leaders are in pieces now…
Sounds like a joke but this is big big business
@Ronan McDermott: I don’t get it
@Tony Donoghue: go on Wish.com and type in “Lego”.
一切都很棒
@Seán C: well said
Lads, just build a wall will ye?
No one constructive comment……
@John Brophy: Some fakin’ awful ones to be sure..
Bought some of this on Wish, didn’t know it was fake, best fakes I’ve ever seen. The Chinese, a great bunch of lads
Company has now been renamed..Leg It
Somebody call Emmett
Somebody refused to make a donation to the Shenzhen’s policemen’s retirement fund…
Police are working hard to put the case together… piece by piece…
Best thing about smashing a fake Lego ring is you can make something else with the pieces
Robbery that sssstufff
They done well to piece that together.
You couldn’t make it up!
Johnny Keane – u could make it up it comes with instructions
@The Red Devil:
@The Red Devil: hahaha
:)
They “dismantled” a fake lego ring bah ha ha very good
Reports have it that the snitch turned out to working for a rival Duplo cartel
Took 3 reads to grasp that headline.
Looks like it’s all gone to pieces for them now :(
But do they hurt like hell if you step on one?!
I dont own any – but was tempted as they make rare sets which are long discontinued by lego and by youtube reviews the quality is excellent. Much better then megablocks etc.
Something didn’t sit right..
I just ordered a lepin technics from AliExpress.. here’s hoping it arrives.
Great headline.
“china police” ? is this a new version of the ‘terracotta army’ !
One way to recycle those toxic plastics I suppose, with children ending up putting those fake goods right into their mouths?
Anyone old enough to remember Airfix Betta Bilda? It was the poor relation of Lego. No? Jaysus, I’m getting way too old…
Luke I’m not ur father I’m a fake da DNA TEST NEEDED
How is it possible even,to make a ring out of lego? Thought that the blocks are square.
I heard a fake Christie Moore song yesterday in Beijing. It’s called Night Prayer by Iridio
have your say