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With high expectations, the Afghan government and the Taliban were able to meet in the Qatari capital Doha on Saturday. It came after months of delays, continuous fighting and disputes for the release of political prisoners, including those convicted of murder and terrorist acts.
There was strong symbolism in the fact that the parties finally met face to face in the conference room and have a historic opportunity to end decades of violence, oppression and suffering for the war-weary Afghan people. But the negotiations will be difficult and will certainly take months.
Abdullah Abdullah heads the Afghan delegation and believes that if they come close and work honestly for peace, the misery in the country will end. He called for a “humanitarian ceasefire.”
Deputy Taliban leader Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar wanted to see an independent and developed Afghanistan, with a form of Islamic system “where all citizens can be reflected.”
It is unclear how far the Taliban are willing to go
It is not clear how far he is willing to go to ensure that women and minority groups can live on an equal basis without discrimination. There is concern that the Taliban may want to reintroduce the strict Sharia rules that prevailed before the terrorist attacks on the United States 19 years ago. The fact that they had Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden on their back led to the US-led war and they were ousted from power in Kabul, but never as an armed movement.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, was present in Doha. “The choice of your future political system is, of course, yours, but take the opportunity to ensure peace,” he said, hoping everyone will take on a great responsibility, but know they are not alone.
– The whole world wants you to be successful and count on your success, said Pompeo and called for a “just, unifying and representative system.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised that the defense alliance will support the efforts of the parties and will accommodate the troop presence in the country. He added that “peace is now within reach.” The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, stressed the civilian victims of the conflict and the need to recognize and preserve fundamental human rights.
During the first half of 2020, nearly 1,300 civilians, including hundreds of children, died in Afghanistan, according to the UN. As of July, some 3,500 Afghan soldiers, police and other security personnel had been killed and more than 6,700 injured in Taliban attacks.
The longest war in American history
For the United States, this is the longest war in the country’s history. At most, more than 100,000 American soldiers have been in Afghanistan at the same time. More than 2,400 Americans have fallen and thousands have been injured, often with serious and long-lasting consequences. Following the unexpected deal with the Taliban, the number of Americans dropped from 13,000 to 8,600 in June. In November, there will only be 4,000, according to President Donald Trump, who, however, announced that there may be even fewer.
He promised to stop America’s endless and costly wars. And with less than two months to go, it became clear this week that troops in Iraq will be cut from 5,200 to 3,000 in September.
The peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates will be signed in Washington on Tuesday. Now the waiting ceremony is being expanded as Bahrain is also normalizing relations. President Trump sees it as a result of his peace plan for the region. He is praised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but rejected by the Palestinians.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has said that he does not recognize Israel but a free Palestine. And the US military ally, Turkey, and arch enemy Iran, are highly critical of Bahrain.
“This step is yet another blow to attempts to defend the Palestinian cause, and will encourage Israel to continue its illegal activities in Palestine and its attempts to permanently occupy the Palestinian territories,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry wrote.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran believes: “The leadership of Bahrain is from now on a bearer of arms for the Zionist regime, representing a constant threat to the security of the region and the Islamic world.”
For Trump, in the midst of his country and its worst crisis, the Afghan peace accords and peace talks could be a triumph. It can also have the opposite effect. It depends on how things go in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and in the US presidential elections.
Read more: Can there really be peace in Afghanistan?
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