Afghan peace talks expected within days

Islamabad discourages preconditions for reviving negotiations


Kamran Yousaf January 11, 2016
Sartaj Aziz greets the Afghan deputy foreign minister as the US special envoy looks on. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:


Direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are expected to resume within days after top officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the United States met on Monday to discuss a roadmap for reviving the moribund peace process.


“All four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan,” read a joint statement issued after the quadrilateral talks. “The participants emphasised the immediate need for direct talks between the government of Afghanistan and representatives of Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Sartaj Aziz opposes preconditions for Afghan peace talks

The four-way huddle was attended by delegations led by Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson and China’s special envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun.

A senior official told The Express Tribune that direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives would resume within days. He said the quadrilateral meeting reached a consensus that the peace process should be revived without any further delay.

The meeting may have reflected on broader consensus on the Afghan peace talks, as differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan persist on how to achieve the objective. While Kabul insists the use of force against ‘irreconcilable Taliban’ groups, Islamabad believes talk of military option at this stage would not augur well for the nascent peace process.



‘No preconditions’

Inaugurating the four-way huddle, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz outlined Pakistan’s perspective on how to approach the peace process.

Taliban toughen stance on peace talks ahead of quadrilateral meeting

Contrary to Afghanistan’s position, Aziz insisted that attaching any preconditions for resuming negotiations would be counterproductive. “The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as a tool for pursuing political goals.”

Aziz explained that proper sequencing of actions and measures in the process would be significant in paving the way for direct talks with Taliban groups. “Threat of use of military action against the irreconcilables cannot precede the offer of talks to all the groups and their response to such offers.”

He stressed on distinguishing between ‘reconcilables’ and ‘irreconcilables’, saying that how to deal with the irreconcilables could follow once the avenues for bringing them to the talks are exhausted.

Hikmatyar favours ‘inclusive’ talks inside Afghanistan

He emphasised that certain confidence-building measures could play a key role in encouraging Taliban groups to join the negotiation process.

He, however, warned against unrealistic targets and deadlines. While the roadmap is important for charting the course of action, it has to be realistic and flexible, he added.

“While positive public messaging is important, keeping in view the sensitive nature of the [quadrilateral contact] group’s work, it should be our endeavour to keep the work of this group out of media glare as much as possible.”

His remarks appear to be in response to a public statement made by Afghan Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah in which he said Pakistan should present a list of Taliban groups willing to hold talks.

The first-ever face-to-face talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban were held in Murree last year in July. The second round of talks was cancelled soon after confirmation of Taliban supremo Mullah Mohammad Omar’s death.

Omar’s deputy Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was then appointed the new Taliban chief. However, there have been reports of infighting within the group over the leadership, making the recent peace efforts all the more difficult.

Quadrilateral meeting: Islamabad to identify ‘reconcilable’ Afghan Taliban

Another challenge is the perpetual mistrust between Islamabad and Kabul. But with the direct involvement of Washington and Beijing, there is hope that the latest peace process could be saved from getting derailed.

The quadrilateral contact group would hold its next meeting in Kabul on January 18 to move the discussions on the road map forward.


Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2016.

COMMENTS (1)

NHA | 8 years ago | Reply Very welcome and encouraging news. All parties to keep vigil against someone spoiling the atmosphere and the situation . Peace is overdue in Afghanistan.
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