London, Nov 13 (IANS) British officials have proposed the Afghan government reconcile with senior Taliban leaders and have them removed from an international sanctions list, the BBC reported Friday.
The leaked document calls for a “combination of carrot and stick” to encourage Taliban commanders and soldiers to lay down their arms and rejoin Afghan society.

The “Afghan-led” plan should start off by wooing foot soldiers and working up through low and mid-level commanders as well as shadow governors, before a final reconciliation with leaders of the Quetta Shura (council).

The Quetta Shura is believed to direct much of Taliban activity, the BBC said.

The memo seen by the BBC said: “We must weaken and divide the Taliban if we are to reduce the insurgency to a level that can be managed and contained by the Afghan Security Forces.”

“This can be achieved by a combination of military pressure and clear signals that the option of an honourable exit from the fight exists.”

“Putting in place the right combination of carrot and stick, at the right moment, will be critical to changing the calculations of individual commanders and their men,” says the memo which was first reported by the German magazine Stern and by Hasht-e Sobh, a newspaper in Kabul.

The memo said “reconciled Talibs” should be removed from a United Nations sanctions list. It includes members of the former Taliban regime and its Al Qaeda allies.