And that's why we have supported Afghan-led efforts towards reconciliation with the Taliban on the conditions that members of the Taliban who wish to reconcile lay down their arms, denounce al Qaeda and sever all ties with al Qaeda, and commit themselves to abiding by the Afghan constitution.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney,

But he nevertheless ordered all of his troops on Bataan to lay down their arms and surrender to the Imperial Japanese.

CNN: 'Dying was easy: It's the living that's hard'

The deal has encouraged all but one of the Hutu rebel groups to lay down their arms but some pro-Tutsi parties oppose the proposed constitution, saying it does not give Tutsis enough guarantees.

BBC: Ballots were colour-coded, black for No, white for Yes