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"Taliban" should negotiate with Afghanistan, not with the U.S.

Politics Materials 18 January 2012 09:00 (UTC +04:00)
Despite the fact that extremist rebels in Afghanistan leading an armed struggle against the government and foreign forces, have agreed to peace talks, the Afghan government is concerned that it was left outside of the negotiations.
"Taliban" should negotiate with Afghanistan, not with the U.S.

Dalga Khatinoglu, Head of the Trend Persian service

Despite the fact that extremist rebels in Afghanistan leading an armed struggle against the government and foreign forces, have agreed to peace talks, the Afghan government is concerned that it was left outside of the negotiations.

"The Government of Afghanistan supports the opening of Taliban's political office in Qatar, but it should not negotiate with the U.S., and only with the Afghan government, which at present, is beyond the scope of this peace process and negotiations," Ahmad Zia Siamak Herawi, the spokesman of Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai told Trend.

"Taliban" movement, leading armed struggle against both foreign forces and the government since 2001, has agreed to negotiate with the United States in 2011, but the sides could not come to anything common. In 2011, negotiations were conducted in Pakistan.

Opening the Taliban political office was negotiated in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In the end, it was opened in Qatar and the administration of Afghan President expressed its support for creation of the office of the Taliban on Jan.5.

According to Herawi, the Karzai government attempted to negotiate with the movement of "Taliban" in 2011, some meetings were held inconsistently, but without any results.

In Sept. 1996, the "Taliban" movement established the Afghan Islamic Emirate. In 2001, after the terrorist attacks of 11 September in the U.S. by "Al-Qaeda," the United States conducted military operations in Afghanistan under the pretext that the Taliban have given sanctuary to the head of "al-Qaeda," Osama bin Laden, and put an end to the Taliban.

The head of the other major anti-government insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan - Hezb-i-Islami - Gulbuddin Hekmatyar said Sunday that Mujahids would join peace talks if "the negotiations will be meaningful".

Any negotiations should "pave way for an agreed plan for the unconditional withdrawal of the foreign forces, guaranteeing Afghanistan's independence, Afghans' right to decide their fate and their national integrity," he said.

Under the agreement, the foreign forces operating in Afghanistan, are leaving the country in 2014.

Diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ousted by U.S. attack Taliban Emirate, Waheed Muzhda told Trend that Taliban have not yet led peace talks with the U.S., and only discuss the Taliban's release from detention, held by American troops.

"The Taliban announced that they will negotiate with the Afghan government after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan (2014), and therefore you should not rely on the fact that the Karzai government will join in on the negotiations and results will be achieved," said Muzhda.

According to him, Taliban's problem are with the foreign forces that are stationed in the country, and it would only negotiate with them.

Afghans not yet found a way to talk with Taliban

An advisor for External Affairs of the Afghanistan High Peace and Reconciliation Council Muhammad Ismail Qasimyar told Trend that the Afghan High Peace Council is created to provide negotiation between rebels and Afghan government.

Qasimyar is one of the 62 men and 8 women appointed to the Afghanistan High Peace and Reconciliation Council in 2010.

"Talks between the Taliban and the Afghani authorities are under initial preparation, and basic discussion of the peace agreement is yet to begin," Qasimyar said.

"The Council has great potential, it is important for every Afghan. Creating a Taliban office in Qatar shows that they had discussed the peace agreement essentially. This is an achievement. However, the negotiations must be conducted exclusively between Afghans, and foreigners should not interfere in this process," - says Qasimyar.

This member of Afghanistan High Peace and Reconciliation Council condemned the Taliban's plan to begin negotiations with the United States, saying that they should negotiate only with the Afghans.

Opposition absence in negotiations

Leaders of the oppositional National Front say the government and foreign forces should engage the opposition in negotiations with the "Taliban".

The former deputy of Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Zia Massoud, the former commander of the national army, Abdul-Rashid Dostum and the head of the National Front Mohammad Rahbar Muhaggig, said that the opposition must also participate in negotiations with the Taliban, while at the press conference held on January 13 in Berlin.

Candidate in the presidential elections in Afghanistan in 2009 Ramazan Bashardust told Trend, that neither the authorities nor the opposition in the country do not express a clear attitude to the "Taliban".

"Karzai calls Taliban chief Mullah Omar his brother and invited him to debate, and his deputy, Mohammed Gasim Fahim calls the Taliban an implacable enemy," Bashardust said.

"The approach of these two major rulers in Afghanistan against Taliban is completely paradoxical," Bashardust added.

According to him, the forces of both ruling party and opposition are based solely on the Americans, and because of it, it would be impossible to negotiate with the Taliban and reach the peace without the U.S.

Bashardust believes that Taliban, and the Afghan army troops are fighting only for a wage and because of that, it's first necessary to solve the economic problems of the country, eliminate corruption, and make clear the economy - or fighting for money will continue to destroy the enemies of each other and to disarm the Taliban would be impossible.

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