Round 2: Kabul, Taliban negotiators may meet on July 30

Afghan peace body spokesperson says exact venue of talks still undecided

ISLAMABAD:

The second round of Pakistan-brokered peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban negotiators is likely to be held this week. The first-ever direct talks between the two prime stakeholders in Afghanistan were held in Pakistan’s north eastern tourist resort of Murree on July 7.

“We have been told the next round could be held on July 30,” said the Kabul-backed High Peace Council (HPC) spokesperson Maulvi Shehzada Shahid, while talking to The Express Tribune from Kabul on Friday. However, he said, the exact venue of the talks was still undecided.

The Afghan government and the Taliban did not comment on the remarks by the HPC’s spokesman.

Some Afghan officials have reportedly indicated China as the possible venue for the second round. But one of the sources said possibility of Qatar as the next venue could also not be ruled out.

Qatar also hosts the Taliban political representatives.

The Qatar office was not involved in the Murree talks and now the HPC wants an expanded Taliban representation that includes the Qatar-based Taliban leaders.  A group of three Taliban leaders represented Taliban in the Murree rendezvous.

“We request the facilitators to involve the Qatar office in the talks to make the process more effective and broad-based,” the HPC spokesman said.

“Although the Taliban leadership council has not opposed the recently started negotiations, the Qatar negotiators should be part of the process as they enjoy trust of the Taliban leaders,” he said.

Maulvi Shahid also suggested ceasefire should be on the agenda during the next round that would be a major confidence-building measure.

A section of the Afghan media has reported that the government is involved in consultations for a possible ceasefire if the Taliban are willing to stop fighting.

The Express Tribune has learnt that contacts are being established to include the Qatar office to join the talks to remove doubts about the fate of the fragile peace process.

The Qatar office spokesman Dr Mohammad Naeem had told the media that the Taliban political commission’s people in Doha were not part of the Murree talks.

A series of statements by the Taliban’s powerful leaders, including Mullah Omar, and commentaries on their official website since the first round of negotiations, underscored the role of the Qatar office.

A Taliban policy statement, issued just a day after the Murree talks, had reiterated the powers of the Qatar office.

“From now onwards all of Islamic Emirate’s foreign and internal political affairs are entrusted to the Islamic Emirate’s political office as their sole responsibility. Afghan sources say Qatar is now asking the Taliban political representatives to become part of the intra-Afghan dialogue.


Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2015.