Former Senior Taliban member, Mullah Abdul Salaam ZaeefFormer Senior Taliban Member Visits Britain -- The Telegraph
A former high-ranking member of the Taliban has made the first visit to Britain by a member of the regime to take part in secret negotiations.
Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef, a member of the Taliban government before September 11, visited London last week amid closely controlled security.
Zaeef, who is still said to be close to Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, attended a closed conference part funded by the Foreign Office to discuss peace proposals aimed at ending the fighting.
The Taliban leader arrived in Britain on Wednesday and stayed in a central London hotel. He was banned from speaking publicly by the terms of his visa but is thought to have held private meetings with British officials.
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Update #1: Afghan Taliban member reportedly talks peace in London -- Central Asia Online
Update #2: London held secret talks with Taliban -- Press TV (Iran)
My Comment: As a former Ambassador for the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef would have the necesssary contacts with the senior leadership in the Taliban. As for his trip to London, I suspect that these talks are just a precursor (and laying the groundwork) for further talks with actual members of the Taliban leadership. At least that is what I hope for, but Praveen Swami at The Telegraph disagrees.