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Talks with the Taliban important -- UN official

BERLIN, Oct 8 (KUNA) -- Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Afghanistan Tom Koenig reaffirmed on Monday the importance of holding talks with the Taliban.
In an interview with the Welt newspaper, Koenig commented on the refusal of the Taliban of the offer of Afghani President Hamid Karzai on holding negotiations, saying one must not resign to disappointment after one failure.
He stressed the peacekeeping mission will continue and that talks will be held with the "satins", adding that the goal is to reach ceasefire and to attain peace through political negotiations.
Koenig emphasized that serious problems are only present in southern Afghanistan and that a lot is achieved in the country's northern regions, emphasizing the importance of developing Afghanistan's health services and education.(end) sh.ris KUNA 081150 Oct 07NNNN