KABUL – The Taliban link> on Friday rejectedas a government propaganda that they were ready to enter peace talks withthe Afghan authorities, saying such statements were aimed at deceiving thepeople.

The Taliban’s reaction comes a day after High Peace Councillink> secretary Dr. AkramKhpalwak told the parliament that they would be able to start intra-Afghanpeace talks in near future.

He said direct talks with the Taliban would be started, but these parlayswould not take place in Pakistan link>.

Khpalwak said an international conference of ulemalink> would be organized in Saudi Arabia onAfghanistan link> and the governmentwould receive support for its peace endeavors.

But the Taliban in a statement attributed to their spokesman ZabihullahMujahid said the Kabul administration and some peace and provincialofficials had once again started false rumors about peace talks.

He said the Taliban had no program to enter talks with the government whichthrough such claims wanted to mislead people’s minds.

Mujahid said the Taliban maintained a clear policy for talks and had manytimes repeated that stance, calling the presence of foreign troops on theAfghanistan’s soil “the mother of all problems.”

Before Khpalwak, High Peace Council official Aminuddin Muzfari had alsosaid the people would hear good news about peace soon.

Similarly, Afghanistan ambassador in Pakistan Dr. Omar Zakhilwal had alsoclaimed progress in talks with Pakistan.