Manama: A reported move by the US endorsing plans for Taliban to open a political office in Qatar by the end of this year has been viewed by an analyst in Doha as a clear testimony of Qatar's reputation as a mediator in regional and international conflicts.

Quoting western diplomats, British newspaper The Times reported on Sunday that the proposed office was designed to allow the West to begin formal peace talks with the Taliban.

Although the report is not independently confirmed, analysts believe that Qatar could be an ideal choice to host the office, given its track record as a successful mediator in the region, Qatari daily The Peninsula reported on Tuesday.

Its role had been instrumental in resolving the political crisis in Lebanon, following the assassination of President Rafiq Hariri, and in bringing the warring Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah to the negotiation table.

Darfur crisis

A solution to the Darfur crisis has become closer with negotiations hosted in Qatar between the Sudanese government and the various rebel groups, The Peninsula said.

"Qatar is perfectly positioned to serve as a venue for the discussion with Taliban," Dr Mehran Kamrava, director of the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at the Georgetown University Qatar, said.

"This position is the result of Qatar's ability to negotiate the complex politics of the region in a way that has so far demonstrated its evenhandedness in dealing with various regional and international actors. It is not surprising that Qatar might be mentioned as a country where Taliban would open a diplomatic office," he told the daily.

Taliban highly influential

Kamrava said the reported US move "also reflects a realisation on the part of the US that Taliban has become a highly influential force in Afghanistan that cannot be simply be defeated militarily."

"The US has recognised the need for doing some sort of discussion and communication, if not negotiation, with the Taliban," he said.

The proposed office in Qatar would be the first internationally recognised representation for the Taliban since it was ousted from power by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Western diplomats told The Times it was hoped that opening a Taliban office in Qatar would push forward the prospect of talks intended to reconcile insurgents with the Afghan government and bring an end to the decade-long war, news agencies reported yesterday.

Political office

Washington is believed to have insisted that the office be located "outside Pakistan's sphere of influence," the report said.

"It will be an address where they have a political office," one Western diplomatic source, who was not named, told The Times.

"It will not be an embassy or a consulate, but a residence where they can be treated like a political party."

The diplomat stressed that Taliban would not be allowed to use the office in Doha to raise funds.

The Times reported that the Taliban was seeking assurances that its representatives would be free from the threat of harassment or arrest.

Britain declined to say whether it supported the creation of a Taliban office in Qatar. "This is a matter for the United States," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.