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Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani started the negotiations during a ceremony at a luxury hotel in Doha.
The ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, and the special envoy of Washington for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad.
During the opening ceremony, Pompeo called on both parties to “seize the opportunity” to achieve peace for the benefit of future generations.
“Without a doubt, we will face many challenges in these negotiations in the coming days, weeks and months. Remember that you are acting not only for this generation of Afghans, but also for future generations, for their children and grandchildren,” he emphasized.
These discussions are important for a lasting peace, which will also lead to the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan after nearly 19 years.
Both sides will seek to address difficult issues, including the conditions for a permanent ceasefire, the rights of women and minorities, and the disarmament of tens of thousands of fighters and Taliban groups loyal to warlords, including those linked to the government.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the chief negotiator for the Afghan government thanked the Taliban for their “willingness to negotiate.”
“I can assure you that the history of our country will be remembered on this day as the end of the war and the suffering of our people,” said former Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
He called for an agreement on a “humanitarian ceasefire.”
“We must stop the violence as soon as possible and agree to a ceasefire. We want a humanitarian ceasefire,” said Abdullah, president of the High Council for National Reconciliation.
The Islamic system
The Taliban negotiator, for his part, reiterated his movement’s call for Afghanistan to adopt an “Islamic system.”
“I want everyone to take Islam into account in their negotiations and agreements and not sacrifice Islam for personal gain,” said Taliban political leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the Taliban, who spent eight years in a Pakistani prison. .
He stressed his desire for an “Islamic system” in Afghanistan.
Pompeo, whose involvement continues to intensify the Donald Trump administration’s diplomatic activities ahead of the November US presidential elections, said the outcome of the talks depended only on Afghans and not the United States.
“Each of you has a great responsibility,” he told the participants. “You have the opportunity to overcome your differences.”
In addition to the above issues, constitutional changes and the division of power have yet to be discussed during the negotiations. Even seemingly simple questions like the flag and the name of a country (the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) can be found on the negotiating table and stir passions.
Among the government-appointed negotiators are four women who promise to preserve women’s rights in any power-sharing agreement with the Taliban. This includes the right to work, the right to education and the right to participate in political life, which women did not have when Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban for five years.
The Taliban were toppled by the US-led coalition in 2001 for harboring Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the architect of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
There are no women on the Taliban’s negotiating team, led by their senior judge, Abdul Hakim.
Heroes of peace
Abdullah, who said it was not necessary for the parties to agree on all the details, stressed that if the talks lead to a lasting peace, safeguard the independence of Afghanistan and help create an Islamic system that defends the rights of all women. people, “both parties will be heroes of peace.”
Pompeo warned that the decisions and behavior of both parties would affect the scale and nature of US aid. He called on the negotiators to respect Afghanistan’s great diversity, including women and ethnic and religious minorities.
According to the US Secretary of State, while the political system must be chosen by the Afghans themselves, the United States understands that democracy and the rotation of political power work best.
“I can only ask for these actions. You will write another chapter in the history of Afghanistan,” he added.
The negotiations began the day after the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States. Pompeo said the United States would never forget 9/11 and that the United States welcomed the Taliban’s commitment not to protect terrorist groups.
US President Trump, who is running for re-election in November, has lobbied heavily to end America’s longest war and wants all foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan next year.
However, it can take many years to reach a comprehensive peace agreement. It will depend on the will of both parties to reconcile their opposing visions for the country.
In February, Washington and the Taliban signed an agreement that paved the way for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan by May 2021.
For their part, the Taliban, who control much of rural Afghanistan, have provided security guarantees and promised to hold talks with Kabul after a lengthy prisoner swap process.
NATO chief welcomes internal Afghan talks as ‘historic opportunity’
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hailed the peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government, which began in Doha on Saturday, as a “historic occasion.”
“I welcome the start of the peace talks in Afghanistan,” he wrote on Twitter. – This is a historic occasion. NATO supports Afghanistan to preserve its achievements and never again be a haven for terrorists. “
A recent report from the Western Military Alliance said that the peace talks in Qatar were “an important step towards lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan after decades of conflict.”
In 2001, NATO participated in a US-led invasion of Afghanistan and led a 130,000-strong United Nations stabilization force.
The Brussels-based organization called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to “seize this opportunity to achieve peace” at the beginning of the negotiations that are expected to be difficult.
According to NATO, “the current level of violence resulting from the Taliban attacks on the Afghan national defense and security forces remains unacceptably high and undermines confidence in the peace process.”
“We call on the Taliban to take decisive action to end the violence,” the statement said.
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