Karzai: U.S. in peace talks with Taliban

Afghan president Hamid Karzai says the U.S. is engaged in peace talks with the Taliban.Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells a youth group about the talksU.S. officials could not immediately be reached for commentU.S. Defense Secretary Gates has said reconciliation talks are possible

(CNN) -- The United States is involved in peace talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told a youth group in Kabul on Saturday. The speech was broadcast by Afghan state TV.

U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

At a news conference with Karzai earlier this month, outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked about making changes in Afghanistan.

"I believe that if we can hold on to the territory that has been recaptured from the Taliban between ourselves and the Afghan forces and perhaps expand that security, that we will be in a position toward the end of this year to perhaps have a successful opening with respect to reconciliation, or at least be in a position where we can say we've turned a corner here in Afghanistan," Gates said, referring to political reconciliation talks.

Gates made the statement during his last visit to Afghanistan as defense secretary. Karzai awarded Gates the Wazir Akbar Khan medal, the highest governmental award.

CNN