The Presidential Palace on Tuesday disavowed comments made by Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, a former mujahidin leader, about the Taliban being a foreign interest group in a clear attempt to warm up to insurgents ahead of a new attempt at peace negotiations. Yet Sayyaf's speech, delivered on Monday at ceremony to commemorate fellow mujahidin leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, was received with praise from a number of MPs and military experts who seemed less interested in ingratiating themselves to the Taliban.