German FM begins Afghan endgame talk

Guido Westerwelle is the first top-level Western diplomat to call on the premier.


Our Correspondent June 08, 2013
Guido Westerwelle is the first top-level Western diplomat to call on the premier. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:


German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is due to arrive in Islamabad today (Saturday) to hold talks with Pakistan’s new political leadership on the Afghan endgame.


Westerwelle is the first top diplomat from any Western country to travel to Islamabad following the historic democratic transition from one civilian government to another in the country.

A Foreign Office official told The Express Tribune that the German foreign minister will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discuss the regional security situation with a focus on Afghanistan.

He will hold formal talks with the prime minister’s special adviser on foreign affairs, Tariq Fatemi, at the Foreign Office.

The German foreign minister’s visit is considered crucial as his country has been involved in brokering an Afghan peace deal.

With the new government is in place in Islamabad, the West is quite keen to know if the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz administration brings any policy shift.



Prime Minister Sharif on Friday outlined his government’s foreign policy priorities seeking a regional solution to the Afghan conflict. But on the face of it there seems no tangible shift in the country’s approach.

The newly-elected prime minister reiterated that Pakistan would support an ‘Afghan-led and Afghan-owned’ peace process.

Foreign Office officials said Pakistan and Germany had convergences on the way forward for Afghanistan. They said both countries were of the view that a broad-based and genuine reconciliation process in Afghanistan could end the decade-long conflict.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2013.

COMMENTS (6)

Rex Minor | 10 years ago | Reply

@Khalid: @Genius: Well said, Let the people of the region enjoy the peace. And let us not be emotional and call each other names, instead have a dialogue to solve the issue facing the region.

Dr westerwelle is a broken politician at home and will be in office for the next two months only;, his liberal party is destined to receive less than 5 % of the votes which is needed to be in the parliament.

Rex Minor

Khalid | 10 years ago | Reply

Let us examine the situation in its totality. To my mind there are 4 necessary conditions that must be in place for achieving peace in Afghanistan. Unless these conditions are met, I don't see how peace can come about?

These essential conditions in order of priority are:

1) Good relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Presently there are issues regarding; - The non-recognition of the Durand Line as the international border by Afghanistan. Recently there have been raids into Dir and other places by Swat and other militants who have taken refuge in the Afghan Kunar and Nuristan provinces or are active on the Mohmand border in Pakistan. Simultaneously as Afghans get closer to India, Pakistani fears of encirclement grow. Recently, Mr. Karzai was in India to seek assistance for the ANA. This surely will increase Pakistani fears of encirclement and call for a riposte. It is no wonder that in one ot its analysis Stratfor, a private strategic company has projected future tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is despite the assistance that is provided by Pakistan to the Afghan High Peace Council to reach an agreement with the Taliban.

2) starting from April 2014 when there are Afghan presidential elections followed by a multitude of Provincial and district level elections it is necessary that they be conducted in a free and fair manner. If their result is disputed Afghan state will fragment

3) Third necessary condition for establishing peace in Afghanistan is to ensure the achievement of re-conciliation between the govt and the warriing groups. Evidently, enough is not being done here by the West as the 5 negotiators demanded by the Taliban to be available for participation in the peace talks remain under arrest as well as travel restrictions under a UN embargo.

4) The fourth condition is to create a regional approach to solve the Afghan problem under the principles laid out under the Istanbul Process and the Heart of Asia Ministerial Declaration of 2012

If these conditions are not met I am afraid we should be prepared to see a very disturbed period ahead that will damage Pakistan even more. Lets not be emotional and call each other animal names and instead hold a sane conversation on how to help solve one of the most difficult issue facing the region.

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