A top African Union official suggested in an opinion piece published Thursday that African states should explore "dialogue" with extremists in West Africa's restive Sahel region. Smail Chergui, the AU's peace and security commissioner, said in the opinion piece published in Swiss daily Le Temps that an agreement reached between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan last February should "inspire our member states to explore dialogue with extremists and encourage them to lay down their weapons." apo/nl/adp