Media reports say the Karzai administration has favoured a Taliban office in Saudi Arabia or Turkey. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
The Taliban have ruled out the involvement of a third country in the Afghan peace process, saying that they would “closely monitor the outcome of President Hamid Karzai’s Pakistan visit”.
The Afghan leader is due to fly into Islamabad today (Monday). According to Afghan Ambassador Umer Daudzai, Karzai would push Pakistan to facilitate the reconciliation process with the Taliban.
The Taliban had closed down their ‘political office’ in the Qatari capital of Doha days after it was opened in June after Karzai objected to the flag and signboard of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at the office, considering it an attempt to run a parallel government in exile.
The Taliban say they have no immediate plans for an alternate political office. Media reports say the Karzai administration has favoured a Taliban office in Saudi Arabia or Turkey.
A Taliban official said they would want to look at the outcome of the Karzai’s talks with Pakistani leaders before deciding on anything. “Let’s see what they (Pakistan-Karzai) do,” the Taliban official told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.
He, however, added that the Taliban would not support any understanding which ignores them because such an attempt would yield no results.
Earlier this year, Afghanistan-Pakistan and the UK had agreed on a six-month peace roadmap at a trilateral meeting in London. However, the plan did not materialise because, according to the Taliban official, it was a ‘unilateral decision’ because the militia was not invited to the summit.
“The Taliban leadership has considered the London summit as an attempt to launch a parallel process to weaken the Qatar peace process,” the Taliban official said adding that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was a major stakeholder in the dialogue and they could simply not be ruled out.
He angrily reacted to efforts for an alternate location for the Taliban political office, saying the issue of their flag and plaque of the Islamic Emirate has not yet been resolved and now a new issue of the relocation of the Taliban office had been created.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 26th, 2013.
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These taliban leaders are so hard to please. They are always angry.