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Afghanistan  –   London Meeting  –  Reconciliation  –  Reintegrating Taliban  –  Jan 2010 Is this the Way a Just War Ends  –  Not with a Bang but a Buy-Off ? Comments  on  the  London  Meeting  and  edited  excerpts  from  two  (2)  news  articles  [1] [CASR Editor: At the London Meeting on Afghanistan, held on  28 January,  Hamid  Karzai announced  the  formation of a purse worth US $500 million that would  be  used  to fund his new  'National Council for Peace,  Reconciliation,  and Reintegration '.  Those  to be ' reintegrated ' are the  Taliban fighters  –  young  men  who could not find jobs, so picked up Kalashnikovs instead. The plan is to woo these followers of  warlords and mullahs ( who hide in Pakistan)  and  induce them  to  switch  their  loyalty to the central government by giving them a job.  Of course, Karzai  has  tried  this  before.  His earlier  plan  was  underfunded  and  came  to nothing.  This time  he is  hoping  the West will ante up and fill his coffers, so that he can buy the hearts and minds of his former enemies. Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon, was skeptical. He thought it prudent to take this decision back to cabinet where the decision could be chewed over. By the tone of his comments at the time,  it was clear that  the whole thing  had left a bad taste  in his mouth.] Edited  excerpts  from  the  opening  speech  given  by  Afghan  President  Hamid  Karzai "The aspirations and demands of  the people of  Afghanistan  today can be  summarized  in four  simple  words:  Afghan  leadership,  Afghan  ownership,"  President  Karzai  said. Karzai asked the London conference participants to support his plan to reach out to Taliban insurgents ... he highlighted the need to reach out to "all of our countrymen, especially to our disenchanted brothers,  who are not part of Al-Qaeda or other terrorist networks [and]  who accept the Afghan Constitution." [ While we are on the topic of the Constitution, why is the president not reaching out to his ' disenchanted sisters ' ? ] Karzai has also resolved to hold a Loya Jirga, or grand assembly, within the next few months to kick off a reconciliation process with the Taliban.  Karzai cautioned that the success of his plans depend on the goodwill of  the Saudi monarch and cooperation from Pakistan. "We ask all our neighbours, particularly Pakistan, to support our peace and reconciliation endeavours. We're looking forward to the international community supporting this plan of action," Karzai said. Karzai then presented a broad plan to improve governance and the economy, lure insurgent fighters to change sides, fight corruption, and expand his country's plan to start taking over security starting later this year. Karzai said prior to the meeting that he still expects western countries to be training and equipping Afghan forces for five to 10 years, and "sustaining" them for a further five years. President  Karzai [ also ]  called on  Saudi  Arabia to take a lead role  in the [ reconciliation ] process. Some Western diplomats [said that] Mr. Karzai's faith in the Saudis is misplaced ... the kingdom [ they argue ] has little influence over the ' Quetta Shura ',  the overall Taliban council headed by Mullah Omar.  US officials say [ that the Quetta Shura ]  is based in the Pakistani province of  Baluchistan. [ Quetta is just across the border from Kandahar City, which is currently being defended  by  Canadian  and  American  troops. ] Minister of  Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon,  was cautious  in his response  to Karzai Cannon refused to commit Canada financially to the controversial proposal by President Hamid Karzai. [ He had reservations about the scheme ]  to create a  US  $500-million fund to convince so-called  'soft'  Taliban  fighters to renounce terrorism in exchange  for  jobs, housing, and a role in government. After Karzai's fraud-tainted summer election victory, Karzai had promised to confront rampant corruption. Cannon [ insisted that ]  those promises had to be backed by action.  He said that Ottawa would have to examine Karzai's reconciliation proposal in detail.  Cannon left open the possibility that Canada would not fund the initiative. Canada is considering [ an alternative form of ]  financial support, alongside the US, Britain, and Belgium,  for a ' performance-based ' fund to finance the monthly expenses of provincial governors in order to improve overall governance at local levels. [ This undertaking is much more likely to win the approval of  Canadian citizens. ]   [1]   Articles  excerpted:  Abubakar Siddique reporting from London for          Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty [ RFE / RL ] ,  28 January 2010.          Peter O'Neil,  Canwest Europe Correspondent,  London,  28 January 2010.