Negotiating with the Taliban

Asia Times On Line has an interesting piece that describes how the (indirect) talks between Washington and the Talibans are being carried out.

the Pakistan army has already been in contact with top Taliban commanders, including Sirajuddin Haqqani. Information is then passed onto the Saudis, who in turn liaise with the Americans.

The aim of the US seems to be to separate the Taliban from Al-Qaida, and strike a deal with the former with a guarantee that the latter are not allowed safe haven in Afghanistan.
Trust-building measures seem to be revolving about the issue of 60 pakistanis held prisoners in Guantanamo Bay

The article then goes on to describe how Al-Qaida has evolved over the years, and how it has kept on operating (or rather, lending its brand to operations conducted) on a global scale