THE SITUATION ROOM
Aired July 10, 2009 - 15:59 ET ………………………..
BLITZER: There's been some excellent reporting by our Michael Ware in neighboring Pakistan. And he sat down with representatives of the Pakistan military, the Pakistan intelligence.
HOLBROOKE: Right.
BLITZER: They seem to be making deals right now with the Taliban, and they want the United States...
HOLBROOKE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: ... to get involved in this.
I want you to listen to this clip. This is -- this is the Pakistani military spokesman, Athar Abbas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's where Pakistan can perhaps provide valuable assistance to the American mission?
MAJOR GENERAL ATHAR ABBAS, PAKISTANI ARMY SPOKESMAN: I think, yes, that can be worked out. That's possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Now, he's saying on the record he wants to work out some relationship, if you will, between the U.S. and the Taliban.
HOLBROOKE: No, I don't know what he's talking about.
The Taliban and al Qaeda are linked like this. And, unless the Taliban repudiates al Qaeda publicly, this is a nonstarter...
(CROSSTALK)
BLITZER: But he -- he -- he is also confirming on the record that there's a relationship that continues between the Pakistani government and the Taliban.
HOLBROOKE: Yes.
BLITZER: Let's listen to this. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS: No intelligence organization in the world shuts its last door on any other organization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLBROOKE: Oh, I don't know...
BLITZER: Because you know there is a long history of the Pakistan intelligence service working with the Taliban. And he says they're not shutting the door.
HOLBROOKE: I don't -- I don't know what he's specifically referring to, not shutting the door.
The United States and President Karzai have long said that Taliban reconciliation is part of our program, people who work with the Taliban, who support them, who want to lay down their arms and participate, the door is always open.
It's not going to -- this war is not going to end on the decks of the USS Missouri, like World War II did. This war is going to end when the Taliban lay down their arms and reintegrate into society. And that's always been an option.
And President Karzai has spoken publicly, in interviews with you, I believe, on that same subject.
Let me be clear on this. We are not in favor of bringing people into the government who advocate the denial of rights to the women, who are murderous, and who are closely allied with al Qaeda.
But people fighting with the Taliban include vast numbers of people,, probably three-quarters, who just pick up a gun, get paid, and go off and do these things. And there's always room for them to be reintegrated. Many have come back. That program kind of fell apart. We're going to revitalize it.
After the elections, you're going to see a very dramatic increase in our policies across the board. And this will be one of them. ………………………….
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