Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I would not disagree fundamentally with that. Key to any conflict area is a proper understanding of how society has evolved over time, the cultural context and how to develop structures to accommodate those and respond to them while making progress. There has been a significant review in the EU and also in the USA of the objectives of the mission. That is fundamental because one must understand what one's objectives are and the outcomes one is seeking. In that context, what has won ground in recent times is an acceptance of the need for reconciliation in terms of what is loosely termed "the Taliban community". As we know, in life there is a continuum of views and it is not possible to label everyone with a simplistic title and state that a particular group of people is beyond reach.

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