President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has defended his Government's plans to offer talks with the Taliban. This against criticism that it would undermine freedoms won by the Afghan people.President Karzai and the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were answering questions by Afghan and British students in a BBC debate on the eve of a conference on Afghanistan in London. It was the Afghan female student who questioned what assurance was there that talking to the Taliban would result in more security for Afghans and to express concern that it risks undermining the freedoms of women in particular.President Karzai said it was an offer open only to those Taliban who were not part of AlQaeda and who would accept the Afghan constitution. Therefore, he said social reforms would not be affected.Mr. Gordon Brown described it as a move to divide the Taliban and to offer them a way out.