Conditions in Afghanistan not ripe for peace talks now: US diplomat
MOST SENIOR CAREER DIPLOMAT IN STATE DEPT QUITS
: Peace in Afghanistan remains the goal but the current conditions are not “hospitable” for talks after the recent terrorist attacks by the Taliban, a top US diplomat has said.
Deputy secretary of state John Sullivan, the Number 2 diplomat in the state department, also renewed a call to adjoining Pakistan to take action against “all terrorists” within its borders.
“Conditions now do not look hospitable to peace negotiations today in the light of what’s happened in the last few weeks … but we are committed to the policy,” he told reporters on Thursday while speaking to about a visit to Kabul — and Iraq — earlier in the week. Talks can start when the conditions are “ripe”, he said.
But that will not be for the US to decide, state department officials said. The timing will be determined by the Afghan government and the Taliban — it’s an “Afghan-led” process, and that’s how it will stay, they added.
Refusing to be drawn into what he termed as “speculation” about who was behind the attacks carried out by the Taliban, Sullivan called upon Pakistan to support the fight against all “all terrorists”, especially those operating
WASHINGTON
from within its boundaries.
In that, the deputy secretary had struck a subtly nuanced note on Washington’s “expectations” from Pakistan, as the word he chose to describe the list of counter-terrorism demands delivered to Islamabad, insisting that Pakistan must expel or get rid of all terrorists and not just those in Afghanistan.
United States officials have tended to hold Pakistan accountable only for the Haqqani Network, a Taliban affiliate, and other terrorist outfits operating in Afghanistan in remarks explaining the recent suspension of nearly $2 billion in security aid to Pakistan. But not Lashkar-eTaiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad that target India.
Sullivan did not mention India, but in the 30-minute interaction with reporters, he repeatedly stressed, reprising a position New Delhi wants to see in the US pronouncements on Pakistan and terrorism — that it must act against “all” terrorists, affecting the “region” and only those active in Afghanistan, Afghanistan has alleged Pakistani role in the two recent terrorist attacks. The state department’s third-ranking official, Tom Shannon, has said he was stepping down, the latest senior career diplomat to exit since President Donald Trump took office a year ago.
Shannon, the under secretary of state for political affairs, is the most senior career diplomat at the department and has been a fixture among the nation’s diplomatic ranks during more than 34 years of service spanning six presidents and 10 secretaries of state. In a letter to department staff, Shannon, 60, said he was resigning for personal reasons.
“My decision is personal, and driven by a desire to attend to my family, take stock of my life, and set a new direction for my remaining years,” Shannon wrote in a note to staff after informing secretary of state Rex Tillerson of his decision to retire. Shannon worked recently on some of the most complex and sensitive issues, including Iran’s compliance with the landmark nuclear deal and Washington’s fraught relations with Russia. His departure is part of a steady stream of senior career diplomats who have left. REUTERS