U.S. envoy Marc Grossman has arrived in Kabul for talks with President Hamid Karzai on preliminary peace talks with Taliban insurgents.Grossman’s visit comes not long after the Taliban announced it planned to open a political office in Qatar ahead of talks with Washington aimed at ending ten years of civil strife in Afghanistan.
Analysts say Secretary of State Hillary Clinton despatched Grossman to Kabul to discuss the development with Karzai, who was reportedly concerned that he would be sidelined in the Qatar talks.
Grossman’s visit comes a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he was considering an early exit from Afghanistan after an Afghan soldier shot dead four unarmed French troops.
compiled from agency reports
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