The United States plans to convene a meeting with the foreign ministers of India, Russia, China, Pakistan, and Iran to forge a common approach to ending the war in Afghanistan while simultaneously taking steps to accelerate a deal with the Taliban. .
This was conveyed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a letter sent to President Ashraf Ghani. The letter marks the first time the new Biden administration has outlined its approach to Afghanistan as it undertakes a review of the troubled peace process with the Taliban, as well as plans to withdraw all US forces from the war-torn country by 1 December. May.
Shortly after Afghanistan’s Tolo News accessed Blinken’s letter on Sunday afternoon, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad spoke by phone with Foreign Minister S Jaishankar to discuss the peace process.
“I got a call from US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad @ US4AfghanPeace. The latest developments related to the peace talks were discussed. We will stay in touch, ”Jaishankar tweeted, without giving details.
There was no other official word on the developments from the American and Indian sides.
In his letter, Blinken outlined four elements that he said are part of a “high-level diplomatic effort with the parties and with the countries of the region and the United Nations” to move “more fundamentally and rapidly towards a settlement and a halt. the permanent and complete fire “. ”.
As a first step, the United States intends to “ask the United Nations to convene foreign ministers and envoys from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the United States to discuss a unified approach to support peace in Afghanistan.” Blinken wrote.
“I believe that these countries share an enduring common interest in a stable Afghanistan and must work together if we are to be successful,” he added.
There was a perception in New Delhi that Khalilzad’s efforts under the Trump administration placed greater prominence on Pakistan and ignored many of India’s Afghanistan-related concerns. Some neighborhoods in New Delhi and Kabul even believed that Khalilzad did not give adequate importance to the Afghan government in his efforts to push forward the peace process after the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha in February 2020.
Blinken’s efforts to tie in India and Iran seem to indicate a desire to balance the process by tying all states that have influence in Afghanistan.
As a second element of the new effort, Blinken wrote that he had asked Khalilzad to prepare and share with the Ghanaian and Taliban leaders “written proposals aimed at speeding up discussions on a negotiated settlement and a ceasefire.” These proposals will reflect ideas included in a roadmap for the peace process that Afghan national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib shared with the US ambassador in Kabul, Ross Wilson.
“By sharing these documents, we do not intend to impose conditions on the parties. Rather, the documents will allow [the Afghan government] and the Taliban to urgently move towards the tasks of developing a) fundamental principles that will guide Afghanistan’s future constitutional and governance arrangements, b) a roadmap to a new inclusive government; and c) the terms of a permanent and complete ceasefire, ”he wrote.
The third element will be for the United States to ask the Turkish government to organize a high-level meeting of the Afghan government and the Taliban in the coming weeks to “finalize a peace agreement.” Blinken added: “I urge you or your authorized designees to join other representatives of the Islamic Republic in this meeting.”
The fourth element of the efforts will be aimed at reducing violence. Blinken wrote that he shared Ghani’s view that “every effort should be made to reduce the high levels of violence in Afghanistan, which are taking an unacceptable price for the Afghan people and deeply undermining efforts to achieve peace.”
He added that the United States has prepared a “revised proposal for a 90-day Violence Reduction, which aims to prevent a Spring Offensive by the Taliban and coincide with our diplomatic efforts to support a political settlement. He added that Khalilzad would share this proposal with Ghani.
At the same time, Blinken called for greater unity among Afghan politicians to move the process forward. “Unity and inclusion in the [Afghan] they are, I believe, essential to the difficult work that lies ahead. As you and your compatriots know very well, disunity on the part of Afghan leaders was disastrous in the early 1990s and must not be allowed to sabotage the opportunity before us, “he said.
Blinken urged Ghani to build consensus on specific goals and objectives for a negotiation with the Taliban “on governance, power-sharing and essential supporting principles.”
He also said that as the Biden administration’s review continues, the United States “has not ruled out any options” and is still “considering the full withdrawal of our forces by May 1 as we consider other options.”
“Even with the continuation of US financial assistance to its forces after a US military withdrawal, I am concerned that the security situation will worsen and that the Taliban may make quick territorial gains,” he said.
Sameer Patil, a fellow for international security studies at Gateway House, said this appeared to be a clear attempt by the Biden administration to move away from Donald Trump’s legacy in Afghanistan.
“Trump was often accused of failing to involve regional powers like India and Iran because of his own foreign policy priorities. If there is to be a lasting peace in Afghanistan, regional powers must be brought in, along with a lessening of focus on Pakistan. I would say this is a more balanced approach, ”said Patil.
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