[ad_1]
Peaceful negotiations began on Saturday in Qatar between the Afghan government and the Taliban. It is the first time that the two parties have come to the table for a peace agreement. “The whole world wants them to be successful,” Washington told the two delegations.
It comes one day after humanity commemorated 19 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks by the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the United States, which led to the launch of an international military intervention in Afghanistan. The Taliban, then at the head of a state governed by Islamic law, offered refuge to al-Qaeda terrorists and their then leader, Osama bin Laden.
In this war on terror, as defined by then-US President George W. Bush, the Americans launched Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in October 2001. Within months, the Taliban were ousted from power, but long internal war, after the country was already crushed by conflict with the Soviets in the 1980s.
Abdullah Abdullah, a negotiator for the Afghan government, said on Saturday that the war between Afghan government forces and various Taliban factions “had no winners.”
The Taliban would like an armistice against the prisoners
The Taliban could propose a ceasefire deal in exchange for the release of the prisoners, Abdullah Abdullah said at the end of the first day of historic talks between the two camps, writes Agerpres, who takes over AFP.
As for the Taliban, they did not mention anything about an armistice, but simply reiterated that Afghanistan must be governed by Islamic law, the BBC reports.
It is “possible” that the Taliban will consider this option, Abdullah Abdullah said, as Kabul has already freed 5,000 insurgents in exchange for about 1,000 members of the Afghan forces. However, this exchange of prisoners was foreseen in the separate agreement concluded by the Americans with the Taliban, which was signed in February, also in Doha, Qatar.
This text, not ratified by the Afghan authorities, provides withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in mid-2021 In exchange for vague promises by the insurgents to maintain an “inter-Afghan dialogue”, which began on Saturday.
Numerous disagreements over the prisoner exchange led to a six-month delay in organizing the negotiations.
Afghan negotiations and US electoral pressure
The negotiations, backed by Washington, are proving laborious because of the deep differences between the belligerents. “The negotiating team will have to find the elements that can help us seize the opportunity,” said Abdullah Abdullah, who in his opening speech called for an “immediate humanitarian truce” on Saturday.
However, the head of the Taliban negotiating team, Abdul Ghani Baradar, did not respond to this request in his speech and did not mention any ceasefire agreements.
The insurgents have long feared that they would lose their main asset at the negotiating table if they reduce their violence, but they have already agreed to temporary armistices, two of which this year.
When asked to what extent the US presidential election, scheduled for November, was influenced by US diplomatic efforts, Abdullah Abdullah acknowledged that these steps “have intensified in recent months.”
“Actually, the urgency is on the Afghan side,” he added.
The two sides began negotiations immediately after the opening ceremony. The first discussions concern the code of conduct and the timing of the negotiations.
White House concerned about foreign policy achievements
However, a potential peace deal between the two sides would be a huge boon for President Donald Trump in his latest effort to highlight his achievements abroad, given the pandemic, the economic crisis and the mistakes. it eroded credibility internally.
Recently, the president of the United States announced another historic agreement in the Middle East: he convinced the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to normalize relations with Israel.
The White House wanted to get involved in another long and painful conflict, between Serbia and Kosovo, announcing last week that the two parties had reached an economic agreement, mediated in Washington.
Editor: Luana Păvălucă
