UN splits Qaeda, Taliban on sanctions list,

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council on Friday split the international sanctions regime for the Taliban and al Qaeda in a bid to encourage the Taliban to join reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.

The council unanimously passed two resolutions which set up one new blacklist of individuals and organizations accused of links to al Qaeda and a second for those linked to the Taliban militia.

The two groups have until now been handled by the same sanctions committee. Western nations wanted to split the two to show that al Qaeda and Taliban have separate agendas and to support the Afghan government's reconciliation efforts.

The new resolutions send "a clear message to the Taliban that there is a future for those who separate from al Qaeda, renounce violence and abide by the Afghan constitution," said Susan Rice, UN envoy for the United States which led the campaign for the division.

Peter Wittig, the German ambassador who heads the Security Council anti-terrorism sanctions committee, said the resolution sends "a strong signal of trust and support for the peace and reconciliation efforts of the government of Afghanistan."

President Barack Obama has set July as the target date to start cutting the 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan, while Defense Secretary Robert Gates said this month there could be talks with the Taliban before the end of the year.

Separately, the Security Council's sanctions committee is considering taking about 20 former Taliban commanders off the UN blacklist.