Pakistan's assurances don't make sense

From here, it looks like assurances from the new Pakistan government that peace negotiations with Taliban-linked insurgents in the south will not imperil U.S. forces battling for control of Afghanistan cannot be believed. Sen. Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, a leading member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday that he has been assured by Pakistan that any deals will not lead to attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan by insurgents hiding across the border. "If you are dealing clearly with tribal leaders who are peaceful and simply want to make sure that their region is not affected by terrorism or the Taliban or al-Qaida, of course they are the people who are appropriate to negotiate with," he said. "But on the other hand, I do oppose agreements with militants. I oppose agreements with the Taliban, I oppose agreements with Al-Qaeda." NATO officials in Afghanistan recently have expressed alarm about increased attacks during peace talks with the rebels, according to the Reuters international news service. While it would be nice to think that insurgent armies operating outside of government control in Pakistan's lawless border region do not have any political ambitions, it doesn't make sense. The Taliban guerillas have already tasted statehood and mangled Afghanistan in the years before the U.S. invasion after the Sept. 11 attacks -- the fact that they have reconstituted themselves means that their struggle is continuing. Pakistan's new leadership wants to reach agreements with the rebel groups, contrary to recommendations from the United States, which wants the groups defeated militarily. In fact, the United States backed Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's dictatorship for years because he promised to battle insurgent elements.