“It was the closest that the parties have come to genuine peace negotiations after nearly a year of talks,” an official was quoted in the WP report.
According to the report, “the deal called for the prisoners (from US detention at Guantanamo Bay) to be sent to house arrest in Qatar, where the Taliban planned to open an office.”
A senior Obama administration official was quoted in the report saying that “right now, things have stopped; everybody is taking a deep breath.” The official further said that contacts with the Taliban are expected to be re-established early in the new year.
The report said that “the potential transfer of prisoners was the result of at least a half dozen meetings this year between US representatives and a Taliban delegation headed by Tayyib Agha, an aide to Afghan Taliban leader Mohammad Omar.”
As per the WP report, the senior official said that they believe they are talking to the right people; people who are capable of negotiations.
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he restoration of durable peace and stability is easier said than done because the country, which was established as the Kingdom of Afghanistan in 1747 by Ahmed Shah Abdali, has been incessantly ravaged by ethnic violence caused by the Pukhtun subjugation of the Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmens and the Hazaras. The most comprehensive accounts of this are to be found in the writings of Soviet historians. These show that the process of Pukhtun domination, which involved conquest followed by persecution and ethnic cleansing, reached its peak under Amir Abdul Rahman, who is often described as the Bismarck of Afghanistan. The enormity of the ethnic problem cannot be overstated. Even if al Qaeda and its affiliates are routed, sustainable peace and stability in the country is unlikely to emerge unless the composition of the future dispensation reflects the ethnic mosaic which defines Afghan society. This can only be achieved through an intra Afghan dialogue without outside interference. Pakistan, as Afghanistan’s immediate and most important neighbour, can facilitate this. Any other policy will be self defeating.
afghanistan is for afghans yes this is true that their is difrences between pashtuns but world know when pashtun comes to take afghanistan they make it . but let me say their is very little diffrences between afghanies so they can manage it but all of the other knows that pashtun are stronger and greater then them their for no problem creation but problem creats when iran and same like them want to impose their groups in afghanistan
but remember again afghanistan is the country of sunnah which are 90%
Karzai is in a catch twenty two situation to strike a deal with Taleban who are on a stronger wicket would not give an inch to him and in frustration he has stopped negotiations with them. However, the Americans on the other hand who want to seek an honourable exit from Afghanistan are keen in entering into a deal with Taleban much before 2014. The likely scenario is that a civil war amongst the major contenders would breakout after Americans leave Afghanistan.
@Khan Bhai: The Pashtuns of Afghanistan are used to being under the rule of the Persian speaking Tajiks. This is not likely to change soon so Karzai should just try to make peace while he can. When the West leaves Afghanistan, it will likely descend into chaos again since the ethnic groups there don't get along well with each other: Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara and Afghan Pashtun have always been at odds with each other even though they like to blame their problems on foreigners.
we Pakistanis love our Afghani brothers and sisters & and can't wait to the day when AFGHANISTAN is run peacefully by its own people. Peace in Afghanistan is peace in Pakistan as we also have great Pashtun population and most of them have relatives on the other side of the border too.
Karzai has no say in anything he's just a puupet.
Karzai, another Najubullah
As a Pashtun myself, I can tell you there will be no peace until Pashtuns are part of the government. Whatever Rag-Tag operation Karzai is running amounts to nothing. Peace with Taliban is the only way. Besides, how long can Afghanistan take conflict before it collapses again?
Peace means end of reign for Mayor of Kabul. How could he allow this...and he has an scapegoat in Pakistan to blame.
@Syed Kashmiri The Pushtuns dont control the Uzbek north, the Tajik Northwest northwest and west and the Hazara center. The western part of Kabul is populated by Hazaras. The great Pakistan army cant even keep the 2% Baluch down. What makes you think the pushtun can control Afghanistan? The biggest destroyers of Afghan unity are the pushtuns themselves. Unless they learn to bend the knee and bow their head they will never rule a united Afghanistan.
@ Syed Kashmiri
..... and the Taliban will paint Afghanistan red with the blood of the minorities.
there is no need for Karzai.deal brokers are Taliban,Pakistan and US.
Karzai is digging his own grave by ignoring the writing on the wall. After the killing of OBL US has no reason to spend treasure and blood in that country.Take it from me;as soon as Obama is reelected thwe Afghan folly will be abandoned and troops brought home. The Pushtoon who are the sixty percent of the population are with Taliban. Witin 2-3 years Taliban will be back in power there.
Karzai wants to have a say in any negotiation between the U.S. and the Taliban. Not only is he mercurial, in his self-adulation he thinks he's indispensable. He will step down in 2014, as the Afghan's constitution doesn't allow three consecutive terms of presidency, he is certainly trying to show the world that he's irreplaceable.
Following the assassination of Rabbani, Karzai finds himself under immense pressure to take a hardline. An effective derailment of the settlement talks by Pakistan between the US, Afghans and the Taliban.
the game is going on as expected! Karzai is playing an important role in destabilizing Pakistan and the peace around it...