Afghan leader offers talks with Taleban ‘without preconditions’
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered recognition of the Taleban as a legitimate political group yesterday as part of a proposed political process that he said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war. The offer, made at the start of an international conference aimed at creating a platform for peace talks, adds to a series of signals from both the Western-backed government and the Taleban suggesting a greater willingness to consider dialogue. Ghani proposed a ceasefire and a release of prisoners as part of a range of options including new elections, involving the militants, and a constitutional review as part of a pact with the Taleban.
“We are making this offer without preconditions in order to lead to a peace agreement,” Ghani said in opening remarks to the conference attended by officials from around 25 countries involved in the so-called Kabul Process. “The Taleban are expected to give input to the peace-making process, the goal of which is to draw the Taleban, as an organization, to peace talks,” he said, adding that he would not “pre-judge” any group seeking peace. The comments represented a significant shift for Ghani, who in the past has regularly called the Taleban “terrorists” and “rebels” although he has also offered to talk with parts of the movement that accepted peace.
The Taleban, fighting to restore Islamic rule after their 2001 ouster by US-led troops, have offered to begin talks with the United States but have so far refused direct talks with Kabul. It was unclear whether they would be prepared to shift their stance, despite growing international pressure. However Ghani, who recently helped launch the latest stage in a major regional gas pipeline from Turkmenistan, said the momentum for peace was building from neighboring countries that increasingly saw the necessity of a stable Afghanistan. “The Taleban show awareness of these contextual shifts and seem to be engaged in a debate on the implications of acts of violence for their future,” he said.
Political office
Ghani said a framework for peace negotiations should be created with the Taleban recognised as a legitimate group, with their own political office to handle negotiations in Kabul or another agreed location. Taleban officials have acknowledged that they have faced pressure from friendly countries to accept talks and said their recent offers to talk to the United States reflected concern that they could be seen to be standing in the way of peace. Ghani said the process would be accompanied by coordinated diplomatic support including a global effort to persuade neighboring Pakistan, which Kabul has regularly accused of aiding the Taleban, of the advantages of a stable Afghanistan. He renewed an offer of talks with Pakistan, which rejects the accusations and points to the thousands of its citizens who have been killed by militant groups over the years. In return for Ghani’s offer, the Taleban would have to recognize the Afghan government and respect the rule of law, he said. In addition, Taleban prisoners could be released and their names removed from international blacklists, while security arrangements could be made for Taleban agreeing to join a process of reconciliation. Former fighters and refugees could be reintegrated and provided with jobs. The United States last year stepped up its military assistance to Afghanistan, notably through a sharp increase in air strikes, with the aim of breaking a stalemate with the insurgents and forcing them to the negotiating table.