Afghan imbroglio: Tiff over ‘Qatar office’ jeopardises peace process

The Taliban accuse the US of being in a ‘state of confusion’ and lacking a ‘firm stance’.

ISLAMABAD:

The fledgling Afghan peace process hit snags less than two weeks after kicking off.

The ultraorthodox Taliban militia has blamed the United States for being in a ‘state of confusion’ and lacking a ‘firm stance’ on the proposed talks in the Qatari capital of Doha where they opened their ‘political office’ with much fanfare on June 18.

A hard-hitting statement issued late Saturday was the first formal reaction from the Taliban to the reluctance of the administrations of US President Barack Obama and Afghan leader Hamid Karzai to hold dialogue with the Taliban negotiators in Doha following a controversy over the status of the office.

President Karzai had angrily reacted to the hoisting of the Taliban’s white flag atop the office which carried a plaque with ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ inscribed on it.  Senior US officials, fearing the breakdown of talks over a strategic partnership agreement with Kabul, indirectly endorsed Karzai’s concerns.

US officials had announced to hold direct talks with the Taliban shortly after the office was formally inaugurated in Doha. However, the talks could not kick-start as Karzai suspended talks with the US over the strategic pact and refused to send a delegation of the Afghan High Peace Council to Qatar.



“The American side is trampling on those realities which guarantee peace and reconciliation. The US is wasting time on excuses. One day they provoke Karzai and the next day they describe themselves as champions of peace,” the Taliban said in the statement.

“On the other hand, Karzai, who until recently had been begging for talks with the Islamic Emirate in his speeches, has now been humiliated to all. The world community condemns his ‘policy of hypocrisy,’” reads the Pashto-language statement emailed to The Express Tribune by the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

The Taliban said: “The question is as to why US officials are in the state of confusion? Why they do not have a firm stance? Is the US true in its claim of talking to the representatives of the Islamic Emirate?”

The statement referred the recent video conference between Presidents Obama and Karzai in which they reportedly supported the Doha talks. “The two leaders made the announcement two days after the US secretary of state, John Kerry, stated that the Qatar office could be closed. The White House came up with such a confused statement. However, President Obama again described the office as an important progress.”

The Taliban claimed that the Western leaders now understand that Afghan officials cannot face the Taliban representatives in Qatar.

The Taliban said that a solution to the Afghan problem needs a sound wisdom, mature expedience and intelligence diplomacy.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2013.