JNN 26.10.10 The German government has earmarked 10 million euros annually to buy off the Taliban as part of a Western plan to “reintegrate” the militant group in Afghanistan.

Berlin has set aside an overall 50 million euros for the five-year-long project.

The plan hopes to convince up to 36,000 militants to set aside their weapons by the year 2014. The cash will only be paid to militants who disarm.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Tuesday stressed that reintegrating former Taliban militants into the Afghan social and political fabric was key to ensuring long-term peace and stability in the war-stricken country.

The development comes months after senior NATO officials floated the idea of making peace with the Taliban — the militant group whose uprooting was one of the main objectives of the 2001 invasion.

As a member of the military alliance, Germany joined the US-led war in Afghanistan violating its constitution which forbids it from military involvement in any wars.

Now, the European country has about 5,000 soldiers in the relatively peaceful northern Afghanistan, making it the third-largest foreign contingent after the United States and the UK.

This is while the majority of Germans oppose any involvement in the Afghan war.