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Taliban welcomes new Pakistani PM's statement

Pakistan's Taliban movement welcomed an offer by the new prime minister to hold talks with militants but urged Islamabad to abandon the US-led "war on terror," the movement's spokesman said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani urged militants on Saturday to renounce violence and offered to hold talks with those who give up arms and join the new democratic era.

"We are ready to talk to all those people who give up arms and are ready to embrace peace," Gilani said to loud support from lawmakers while addressing parliament.

Pakistani Taliban militants welcomed the move late on Saturday.

"We welcome the announcement by the federal government to hold talks with Taliban Tehreek [movement] to improve law and order situation in the country," Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the movement, told local reporters by telephone.

"The talks announcement by government will have extremely positive impact on the law and order situation and the federal government should immediately stop the war for US interests," Omar said. "The government should immediately say goodbye to pro-US policies because there is no good in them for the government and the people of Pakistan."

Omar also welcomed the repeal of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), a harsh colonial era legal code for Pakistani tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, but demanded that Islamic law be enforced in its place.

"[The] prime minister has won the hearts of the tribal people by ending the FCR, but the government should, keeping in view the wishes of tribal people, immediately announce enforcement of [an] Islamic system," Omar said.

Pakistan has been a bulwark in the US-led fight against al-Qaeda and Taliban militants since the Sept. 11 attacks on the US.

The country has suffered an unprecedented wave of violence including suicide bombings in the past year blamed on al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.

Gilani on Tuesday told US President George W. Bush that a broader approach to the "war on terror" was necessary.
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