Secret Saudi dinner, Karzai's brother and the Taliban

In the Independent, here, via WIC

"...The Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef told the BBC that a delegation of 15 Afghans attended the formal religious dinner. The Saudis, once the chief financial backers of the Taliban, have offered to be the conduit of talks between Islamist militants and the Afghan government. Saudi and Afghan officials have denied, however, that any serious direct talks took place at the dinner meeting, maintaining that it was a religious and social occasion........It is unclear whether the US would consider 61-year-old Hekmatyar, the man they designated a ‘global terrorist' and tried to kill in a missile strike, to be one of those who should be offered negotiations. As a Mujaheddin commander against the Russians the warlord received considerable support from the CIA and Pakistan's military regime......There are also doubts on whether the Saudis are actually in a position to engineer a peace agreement.
It is questionable how much influence they continue to have over the Taliban who no longer depend on official funding from the kingdom. Influential figures within the Saudi ruling establishment who are believed to be secretly funding Islamist movements are expected to continue doing so whatever the outcome of the negotiation process."