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After 40 years of almost continuous unrest and civil war, there is now, for the first time, real hope for peace in Afghanistan.
After months of tug of war, representatives of the Afghan government finally came to the negotiating table in Doha, along with a Taliban delegation led by Abdul Hakim.
The tougher question will likely be what kind of place the Taliban and supporters of the movement will have in future Afghanistan, and what political demands the movement will have to lay down its arms.
Abdullah Abdullah heads the Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan, speaking during the opening of negotiations in Qatar on Saturday.
Photo: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
What are the Taliban demanding?
The Taliban ruled Afghanistan for a few years in the late 1990s until 2001, during which time women’s rights were severely restricted. Women were denied education, employment, and participation in politics.
The parties to the conflict must come to an agreement on the basis that there is no winner and no one who has been defeated, said the host of the negotiations, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during the ceremony. opening on Saturday.
The negotiations begin after the Afghan authorities released the last of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The plan was that the talks should already have started this spring. But both the internal political unrest in the Afghan power elite and the delays and ambiguities around the release of prisoners have meant that they only start now.
United States withdraws troops
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was present during the inaugural ceremony in Doha today, and the plan is for the United States to drastically reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, as part of the peace process.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was present at the opening of the Afghanistan talks in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Photo: KARIM JAAFAR / AFP
The Taliban have vowed not to harbor terrorists, Pompeo said during the opening ceremony, adding that it is up to the Afghans themselves to decide what kind of political system they want to live in.
President Donald Trump has promised that only 4,000 troops will remain in the country in November, up from 13,000 in February this year.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter Saturday morning that what is happening now is a “historic opportunity and that NATO supports Afghanistan to ensure that the country never again becomes a free port for terrorists “.
The real peace negotiations in Afghanistan begin on Monday and are expected to last for many months. Between 1 and 2 million people have died due to war and unrest in Afghanistan over the past 40 years. Still more are forced to flee.
