The start of the meetings between Taliban and U.S. officials in Qatar

KABUL (AFP) - A former official in the Taliban on Sunday that negotiators representing the Taliban began in Qatar preliminary talks with U.S. officials aimed at ending the war ten years ago in Afghanistan.

Molloy said Registry of religion who was the leader of the religious police during Taliban rule (1996-2001), told AFP: "not yet started the actual peace talks - but they have begun the process of building confidence and will take some time."

The Registry of religion currently a member of the Supreme Council of the peace appointed by the government of President Hamid Karzai.

The Taliban, ousted from power in a US-led invasion in late 2001, announced earlier this month that it intends to establish a political office of the movement in Qatar before the start of talks with Washington.

The Registry of religion that the Taliban delegation currently resides in Qatar and has a good Agha Mohammed, a close ally and secretary of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Delaware and Shihab-Eldin, former Taliban ambassador in Riyadh.

The delegation, as well as Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Taliban government, Aziz Rahman, a former Taliban diplomat in Dubai, according to the Registry of religion.

"At the present time the delegation will hold preliminary talks. This process is in the very early stages. We need to build some confidence before the start of the talks."

Among the confidence-building steps demanded by the Taliban to release five of its members detained in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the U.S., while Washington is demanding militants to renounce violence.

The Registry of religion that it was "obvious" that the Taliban delegation went to Pakistan, Qatar, in reference to the southern neighbor of Afghanistan, Kabul, accused by the previous attempts to derail peace talks, may have begun to participate in the process.

In another sign of improved Alalaqt between the two countries, it was announced that the Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, will visit Kabul on Wednesday.

Moses G. Janin Afghan Foreign Ministry spokesman said the visit is an indication of a "new phase" in the cooperation between the two countries, noting that Khar will hold talks with Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasul, President Hamid Karzai.

He added that "the two sides Sinaakeca fighting against terrorism and Pakistan's support is essential to the peace process in Afghanistan."

He said that "Pakistan plays a key role in the Afghan peace process, Afghanistan needs to sincere efforts of the neighboring country in the peace negotiations."

The visit came after the Foreign Minister of Pakistan to Afghanistan, Pakistani initiatives for the resumption of talks on Taliban, which stopped in the wake of the assassination of Afghan chief peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani in a suicide attack last September, according to officials.

Karzai has accused Pakistan of responsibility for the killing Rabbani, said last month that Islamabad subvert all attempts to negotiate with the Taliban.

At first, he feared Karzai of being sidelined in talks Qatar, and Washington sent a special envoy Marc Grossman to Kabul last week to reassure him that his government will play a key role in any important negotiations to come.

In another effort to calm the doubts Karzai, is expected to reach a delegation from Kabul to the Qatari government to clarify its role in the talks, according to a secretary of the Supreme Council for Peace Aminuddin Mozaffari told AFP.

Mozaffari said "We expect the attendance of a delegation from Qatar to Kabul to discuss with us the role of the Afghan peace talks, when, and how it will continue the peace talks in Qatar."