Ex-hostage Waite urges talks with al Qaeda

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Middle East hostage Terry Waite has called for dialogue with al Qaeda, saying terrorism cannot be beaten by war or violence.

Waite, a former Anglican church envoy held captive for nearly five years in Lebanon in the 1980s after being seized during a mission to negotiate hostage releases, made the call in a television debate to be broadcast by BBC World.

He said international experience, including apartheid South Africa's negotiations with the once banned African National Congress and Britain's with the IRA in Northern Ireland, showed that talking to opponents was the right way forward.

"No insurgency or terrorism has been defeated by warfare or violence. My own experience shows that you can talk to those whose positions seem impossible," said Waite.

"There are some rational players in al Qaeda but it also attracts the psychotic. We need to seek an entry point."

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has hinted in the past at compromise with the West, offering a ceasefire if it withdraws troops from Muslim lands. But his overtures have been rejected out of hand by Western governments as a ruse.

Although not a political player, Waite's views command attention because of his personal experience of dealing with militant groups and the wide respect he enjoys for surviving his hostage ordeal with dignity.