Afghan president forms team to talk peace with Taliban

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Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani has formed a 12-strong team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, but he warned on Wednesday that implementation of any deal will take at least five years.

Ghani was speaking at a UN conference on the 17-year-old war between Afghan security forces and the Taliban. Representatives from 61 countries and 35 international organizations attended the event in Geneva, Switzerland from Tuesday to Wednesday, urging all sides in Afghanistan to engage in inclusive peace talks at an early date.

The Afghan government, Western diplomats and United Nations officials have in recent weeks raised hopes of finally reaching a deal to end the Taliban's insurgency. However, such optimism has been tempered by continuing attacks, including a massive blast outside a British security company's compound in Kabul late Wednesday – claimed by the Taliban – which killed at least 10 people. The latest violence came just hours after Ghani announced that his government had formed the negotiating team.

A young Afghan man wounded in a massive explosion receives treatment at Wazir Akbar Khan hospital in Kabul, November 28, 2018. /VCG Photo

Kabul's 'roadmap'

"We seek a peace agreement in which the Afghan Taliban would be included in a democratic and inclusive society," Ghani said.

The president also laid out what he termed a "roadmap" for the talks and four principles that he said must form the backbone of any agreement. They include respecting Afghanistan's constitution and the total rejection of interference in domestic affairs by foreign "terrorist" and criminal groups.

Ghani, facing a war-weary public back home, called on Afghans to back his peace push in an election next April.

"Presidential elections in the spring are key to successful peace negotiations. The Afghan people need an elected government with a mandate to obtain ratification (and) implement the peace agreement and lead the societal reconciliation process," he said.

"Implementation will take a minimum of five years to reintegrate six million refugees and internally displaced people," he said.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (R, front) arrives to attend a United Nations debate on the performance of his country's private sector during the Geneva Conference on Afghanistan in Geneva, Switzerland, November 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said the peace process would start with an intra-Afghan dialogue, followed by discussions with Pakistan and the United States, then regional actors, the Arab world and finally NATO and non-NATO countries.

However, the Taliban, who were not at the Geneva talks and have refused to deal directly with the Kabul government, dismissed Ghani's call, saying they would negotiate only with the United States.

In a statement, the movement said that talking to "powerless and foreign-imposed entities" was a waste of time.

"The entire world understands that more than half of Afghanistan is under the control of the Islamic Emirate whereas the Kabul administration is installed by the Americans," it noted.

That claim contradicts the latest numbers released by the US Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction in November, which showed 55.5 percent of the Afghan territory is under the full control or influence of the government, whereas 12.5 percent is controlled or influenced by the Taliban.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (L2, front) delivers a speech during a United Nations conference on Afghanistan, November 28, 2018, at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland. /VCG Photo

'Ball in Taliban's court'

Addressing reporters at the end of the conference that saw major donors pledge sustained commitment to the Kabul government, Afghanistan's National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib said Wednesday's bomb blast would not deter from the peace push.

"Events like this bolster our resolve for peace," he said.

"We have put our step forward," he added. "The ball is now in the court of the Taliban."

Asked why he was confident negotiations were possible despite the violence and the Taliban's lack of public commitment, Mohib claimed the militants were facing renewed pressure to talk, including from foreign backers.

"We see the stars lining up for peace at this point," he said.

Afghan families fleeing from the districts of Malistan and Jaghori, because of the conflict between Taliban and government forces, arrive in Ghazni, Afghanistan, November 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

U.S. Under Secretary of State David Hale said he was encouraged by the plan for talks and the formation of a negotiating team. "The time has come to plan for an Afghanistan of peace," he told the conference.

Hale urged the Taliban to commit to a ceasefire and appoint their own negotiating team, but also warned that the presidential election needed to be run better than parliamentary elections last month.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov echoed the concerns about the elections and called for a broad intra-Afghan dialogue, saying Moscow was worried about the worsening military and political situation. There should be closer cooperation against the Afghan wing of ISIL, which threatened the whole region, Lavrov said.

(Cover: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani delivers a speech during a United Nations conference on Afghanistan at the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, November 28, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency