Ex-president: Peace possible when all Afghans sit together

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghanistan's former president says he's saddened by the cancellation of wide-encompassing talks with the Taliban, stressing that peace won't be possible in his homeland, ravaged by more than 17 years of war, until Afghans from all walks of life sit together and negotiate.

Hamid Karzai spoke to The Associated Press a day after the Qatari hosts announced that a scheduled gathering of Afghan-to-Afghan talks was postponed indefinitely after a falling out over who should attend.

The talks were to start on Friday in Qatar, where the Taliban maintain an office. They would have marked the first time that Taliban and Kabul government officials sat together.

Although Karzai did not blame a particular side for the cancellation, he urged the U.S. to "put force behind it to make it (talks) happen."