"If you look at any counter-insurgency campaign throughout history there's always been a point at which you start to negotiate with each other, probably through proxies in the first instance, and I don't know when that will happen," General David Richards, chief of the general staff, told BBC radio.

Stressing it was "purely a private view", he said: "I think there's no reason why we shouldn't be looking at that sort of thing pretty soon.

"But at the same time you have got to continue the work we are doing on both the military, governance and development perspectives to make sure that they (the Taliban) don't think that we are giving up.

"It's a concurrent process and both equally important."

Earlier this month, Afghans from across the political and social spectrum said at a landmark conference, the so-called peace jirga, that talking to the Taliban was the country's best, and possibly last, chance for peace.

In January, a UN official said former UN representative to Afghanistan Kai Eide met with Taliban militants in Dubai with the hope of holding peace talks, but the militants denied the meeting took place.

Britain has about 9,500 troops as part of an international coalition in Afghanistan, most of them battling Taliban insurgents in the south.

earlier related report
Aussie PM reassures U.S. over Afghanistan
Canberra, Australia (UPI) Jun 25, 2010 - Even before chairing her first Cabinet meeting, Australia's first woman prime minister has reassured U.S. President Barack Obama that she supports military involvement in Afghanistan.

Julia Gillard, the left-leaning politician who wrestled control of the ruling Labor Party earlier this week, telephoned Obama to briefly discuss the war in which Australia has around 1,550 troops, mostly training Afghanistan army recruits.

The foreign-born and the former deputy prime minister was sworn in this week by another woman, the Queen's representative in Australia, Governor General Quentin Bryce.

Gillard, 48, was born in Barry, Wales, came to Australia with her parents when she was 4 and is single with no children.

She qualified as a lawyer, later becoming chief of staff to a Labor member of Parliament before winning a seat herself in 1998.

Gillard had been a staunch supporter of Kevin Rudd, 52, who led Labor to a landslide victory at the polls in 2007. She rose to head three departments, including employment and workplace relations, education and social inclusion.

The swearing in of Gillard marks Rudd's incredible fall from power in less than a week. He was topping opinion polls at the beginning of the year, yet last week he struggled to garner support within his own party, including his erstwhile deputy.

Rudd's managerial style was increasingly labeled aloof and weak, and his popularity hit bottom this month when he backed off setting up an anti-pollution carbon emissions trading scheme. He also lost a fight with the mining sector over Labor's plans to impose taxes on their rising profits.

Rudd at first said he would fight an internal leadership contest if the party were to convene a leadership convention. But he accepted the inevitable when a meeting of Labor's 112 members of Parliament cast their vote unanimously in Gillard's favor.

He immediately resigned, although he remains a Labor member of Parliament.

Gillard is to the left of the party. "I believe fundamentally that the basic education and health services that Australians rely on, and their decent treatment at work, is at risk at the next election," she said after winning her leadership bid.

"I love this country, and I was not going to sit idly by and watch an incoming opposition cut education, cut health, and smash rights at work."

Just how much of a profile she will have on the international stage remains to be seen.

Rudd is a Mandarin-speaking former diplomat and was active in international relations, working closely with his foreign minister, Stephen Smith, whose experience could be invaluable to Gillard.

Gillard's focus will probably be on internal issues because of her familiarity with them.

Given that, no new foreign policy changes appear imminent and the more than half-century close relationship with the United States is unlikely to change.

In a twist of fate for Rudd, some analysts have suggested Gillard may hand over the foreign minister portfolio to Rudd because of his extensive international experience, including his close relationship with China's leaders.

Gillard is not the first woman -- and foreign-born woman -- to head a government in Australia. She joins the premier of New South Wales state, the American-born Kristina Keneally, who has been riding high in recent popularity polls.

Other women leaders include the premier of Queensland state, Anna Bligh, and the deputy leader of the opposition Liberal Party, Julie Bishop.

Labor's Rudd had a record-breaking seven female ministers, four of whom were in his inner circle, the Cabinet.

Australia is noted for having a strong male-biased culture. Around 6 percent of chief executive officers of the country's Top 200 companies are women, and 13 percent are judges.

Gillard has downplayed the statistic of being the first "Sheila," as many Australian men colloquially call a woman, to run the country.

"I'm aware I'm the first woman to sit in this role but I didn't set out to crash my head against any glass ceilings," she said.

But her reign may be short lived. Her leadership faces the real test of acceptance when the country goes to the polls in a general election by the end of the year.

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