Taliban is unlikely to participate in the current Government of President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan as they do not consider it legitimate, a top American official has told US lawmakers.

So far there are few indicators that Taliban are sincere about reconciliation, John Brennan, President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism adviser, said in written answers to questions asked by the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of his confirmation process for the post of CIA Director, the hearing for which was held last week.

“The Taliban is unlikely to participate in the current government because it does not accept the legitimacy of the Karzai regime. We have few indicators to date that the Taliban are sincere about reconciliation,” Brennan said yesterday.

“One of the key outcomes for reconciliation would entail credible Taliban commitments to abide by the Afghan constitution, including its protections for the rights of all Afghan men, women, and children,” he said, indicating that there has been no change in the red line for talks with the Taliban.

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