国际英语新闻：Pakistan, U.S. at odds over reconciliation with Taliban

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Behind-the-scene peace talks in reconciliation process involving Pakistan, the U.S., Afghanistan and Taliban insurgents have made little progress because Pakistan and U.S. differed over the question of who can be reconcilable, sources told Xinhua Monday.

To find a political solution to the nine-year-long Taliban insurgency against Afghan government backed up by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan introduced an al-Qaeda-linked group " Haqqani network" led by aging Jalauddin Haqqani and his son Sirajuddin Haqqani which has stronghold in Pakistan's North Waziristan, a northwest tribal region bordering Afghanistan, and in eastern Afghan provinces of Paktika, Khost and Paktia.

But U.S. did not agree to include this group in peace negotiations because American authorities regard this group as the most vicious enemy of NATO forces.

"It is the real controversial stage, Pakistan says the Haqqani network is negotiable but the U.S. takes it from totally different angle," a senior diplomat, demanding anonymity, told Xinhua on Monday.

American diplomats also questioned the wisdom of Pakistan to view a group close to al-Qaeda reconcilable.

This is the main reason the Obama administration has been urging and pressing Pakistan to eliminate "safe heavens" of the group in North Waziristan.