THE Afghan Taliban opened a political embassy in the Gulf state of Qatar yesterday and announced their readiness to begin peace talks with the US and Afghanistan, a critical milestone which came within hours of NATO handing full control of Afghanistan’s security to local forces.

At a televised press conference in the Qatari capital of Doha, a heavily-bearded and turbaned Taliban spokesman read a prepared statement in which the he said the Taliban "opposed the use of Afghan soil to threaten other countries".

The promise was a precondition laid down by the US for its support for the opening of a political office for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which considers itself the country’s government in exile since the November 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan overthrew its draconian Islamic regime.

The spokesman added the organisation considered the new political office, or embassy, essential to realising its five main objectives.

Those objectives included initiating talks with various countries, the UN and non government organisations to improve relations, holding meetings with Afghans "as times may demand", and supporting "a political and peaceful solution which includes the end of the occupation of Afghanistan and the establishment of an independent Islamic system".

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants good relations with all countries in the world including neighbouring countries on the basis of mutual respect," the spokesman said.

But, he added, the organisation considered it its "religious and nationalist duty" to continue fighting foreign invaders in Afghanistan, even as it agreed to begin talks with the US.

A Taliban political office has been under discussion since 2011, and senior Taliban figures have been living in Doha for many months, but it is the first official assent by the group to resuming peace talks since they broke off preliminary discussions with US representatives last year.

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