There is no ceasefire agreement

There are many challenges to the Afghan dialogue, from the possibility of reaching a ceasefire, to the elaboration of a political roadmap that defines the nature of the regime in the post-American withdrawal that is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. as stipulated in the US agreement and the “Taliban” movement, which paved the way for the Afghan peace negotiations in Doha. The day after the first day its fragility was revealed, in addition to the profound differences in the approach to problems and solutions between the representatives of the Afghan movement and their counterparts in the government delegation, no great progress is expected in the first rounds of talks, but the beginning of the dialogue is essential to maintain the survival of this process. On the right track, during the US presidential election campaign; The Donald Trump administration is eager to use this failure to increase the president’s electoral chances. Given the many challenges, the negotiators acknowledged in the opening session the day before yesterday that the talks will be long and complicated. It is not excluded that reaching a comprehensive peace agreement will take years, especially in light of the insistence of the Afghan government, Ashraf Ghani, on a “lasting peace” that preserves the “achievements of the last 19 years”.

Shortly after the start of the Afghan negotiations, the Kabul government and its allies, including the United States, called for a ceasefire. And the government official in charge of overseeing the peace process, Abdullah Abdullah, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, hoped that the Taliban would agree to this clause in exchange for a new release of prisoners from elements of the movement, which he announced, in turn, in what he said. The release of 22 Afghan soldiers at the start of the talks was a “gesture of goodwill”, according to their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Abdullah stipulated that “there should be a significant reduction in violence, then a humanitarian ceasefire, followed by a permanent ceasefire across the country.” Since the opening session, the main Afghan negotiator presented Kabul’s main demand, that is, a “ceasefire”, against which the movement warned. Since this would reduce its main strength in these negotiations. From here, the “Taliban” official and one of its founders, Mullah Abdulghani Baradar, took a different approach to this point of conflict. In what may constitute another point of contention in these negotiations, Prader stressed at the meeting that Afghanistan should be an independent country with an Islamic system. For his part, the United States’ special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was cautious at first, before showing some optimism, saying that his country hopes that “the violence will diminish immediately, a ceasefire will be applied or a talks on a ceasefire “. In conclusion, reach an agreement on a political roadmap, but also on a permanent ceasefire. ”

Washington intends to use its aid to Afghanistan as a lever for a deal

As technical committees on both sides prepare to set an agenda for talks, violence continues on the ground. According to the authorities, six policemen were killed in a Taliban attack in Kunduz province on Saturday night – Sunday, while five policemen were killed in another attack in Kapisa province. And a mine explosion in Kabul injured two civilians, while no casualties were reported in another blast in the capital. From here, Abdullah, who chairs the “Supreme Council for National Reconciliation” in Afghanistan, emphasized that “causing more bloodshed (during the talks) is a miscalculation. It is impossible for one of the parties to win the war.”
The most prominent present at the opening ceremony was the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, who did not neglect in his speech to point out “the multiple challenges that we will face in the coming days, weeks and months. Remember that you are working not only for this generation of Afghans, but for the good of future generations. ” Also. “However, the administration of the president of the United States confirmed that it intends to use the aid it provides to Afghanistan as a means of pressure to conclude an agreement, since Trump, who seeks to be re-elected for a new presidential term, wishes personally be the president who ended the longest war in the United States.In this context, Pompeo cautioned that the size and scope of future U.S. aid to Afghanistan, which is highly dependent on international funding, will be determined by of “your choices and your behavior.” He said, “In making your decisions, you must keep in mind that your choices and your behavior will affect the size and scope of future US aid.”

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