A presidential spokesman confirmed on Monday that talks between President Hamid Karzai and representatives of Hezb-e-Islami had taken place.

He added that the Hezb-e-Islami representatives had brought a peace plan with them, which the president was studying.

Blacklisted for supporting al Qaeda and the Taliban

Hezb-e-Islami is headed by warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. He has been blacklisted as a terrorist by the United Nations and the United States.

Washington accuses Hekmatyar of supporting and taking part in attacks by al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Hezb-e-Islami's spokesman told AFP that the delegation handed Karzai a 15-point document, which it hoped would form the basis of peace talks.

One of the points suggests a clear timeline for the withdrawal of foreign forces and another proposes the formation of an interim administration.

UN has also spoken to the Taliban

The former UN envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, announced in an interview last week that he had also held talks with Taliban representatives over the past year.

He said the talks had ended after Pakistan arrested several senior Taliban leaders, including the Afghan Taliban's number two, Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, hailed those arrests in Pakistan as being good for the military effort in Afghanistan.

US is skeptical about negotiating with insurgents

The US is due to increase its troop numbers in Afghanistan so that they can better deal with insurgency. It is skeptical about entering negotiations with senior Taliban representatives.

However, President Karzai has said he believes talks with the Taliban leadership will help bring peace in the country.

He is expected to hold a Loya Jirga, or grand council, in late April or early May, as part of efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.

du/AFP/Reuters/AP
Editor: Anne Thomas