Before Afghanistan conference, Krishna tells Miliband no distinction between `Good' or `Bad' Taliban - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today met his British counterpart David Miliband here on the eve of a crucial one-day meeting on Afghanistan and told him that India saw no distinction between 'Good' or 'Bad' Taliban, and added that "India would like things to get settled" in that country. Speaking to the media after his meeting with Miliband, Krishna said: "I had a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary David Miliband. We had a useful exchange of views on few issues which concern both of our countries, in particular a reference to Afghanistan which happens to be in our neighbourhood." Krishna said that he told Miliband that al-Qaeda's propaganda of creating a distinction between "Good" and "Bad" Taliban should not confuse issues related to terror. "I drew Foreign Secretary's attention to the fact that al-Qaeda and its various manifestations and incarnations in different names and in different times should not confuse the issue on terror. India has seen through the games of Taliban that they were trying to create a superfluous distinction between good Taliban and a bad Taliban," he said. Talibanism was "terror driven" and India's assessment on the issue was "somewhat different", he added. The January 28 conference on Afghanistan would see the international community coming together to fully align military and civilian resources behind an Afghan-led political strategy. The strategy will engage Afghan people in the defence of their country and to divide the insurgency, besides building regional cooperation.