Fresh U.S.-Taliban Talks Move Afghanistan Closer to Peace Deal
Fresh U.S.-Taliban Talks Move Afghanistan Closer to Peace Deal
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is heading into another round of talks with Taliban leaders in Qatar on Saturday in hopes of reaching a peace deal that will help end 18 years of war.
The seventh round of meetings is taking place four days after the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in Kabul the U.S. is close to finishing a draft agreement with the militants on counter-terrorism assurances.
Pompeo also said talks on the withdrawal of NATO and U.S. forces from Afghanistan are continuing, condition-based, and he is hoping to reach a complete peace deal before September 1. Some analysts and ex-Taliban officials also believe both sides are nearing an agreement on the withdrawal of forces.
Saturday’s talks are “crucial given the U.S.’s haste and timeline for reaching a deal with the Taliban” said Waheed Mujhda, a Kabul-based political analyst and a former Taliban official.
Presidential Elections
The talks between the U.S. and Taliban have taken on greater urgency as Afghanistan heads for presidential elections on September 28 and all parties are trying to make peace with the Taliban in a bid to prevent civilian casualties during voting. It’s not clear whether the group will agree to participate in the elections after a possible peace deal. The Taliban had suggested forming an interim government following a deal but the idea was refused by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Ghani -- who has been sidelined from the talks -- is hoping the negotiations open the door for a direct meeting between his government and the insurgents. The Taliban call his government illegitimate and a U.S. puppet.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy on Afghan reconciliation who’s leading the U.S. delegation, has said the U.S remains committed to a four-issue agenda outlined in the meetings with the Taliban since last year. These are: counter-terrorism, a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign troops, a dialogue between Afghans and a permanent ceasefire.
Former President Hamid Karzai led two large delegations of non-government politicians and independentactivists to meet with Taliban leaders twice in Russia. Another meeting was held in Pakistan several days ago. All these meetings failed to end a war that has killed tens of thousands of Afghans and cost more than $800 billion.
The Taliban control or contest half the country, more than any time since they were ousted by the U.S. invasion in 2001.
Analysts and many Afghans are concerned about any regime led by or involving the militant group. The Taliban imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law during its five-year rule to 2001. After taking control, the rebels ordered the execution of Afghanistan’s former President Mohammad Najibullah, who was living in a UN compound in the city.
Najibullah was dragged from the compound and publicly hanged. The regime also banned women from attending schools and working and even punished people for watching television.
A former Taliban official, Abdul Shokur Motmayeen, who is in touch with the group, said he was optimistic of a deal as both sides have shown some flexibility regarding the timeline for the troop withdrawal.
“This round is extremely significant because they are just one or two steps away from achieving a peace deal,” he said.
--With assistance from Nick Wadhams.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eltaf Najafizada in Kabul at enajafizada1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Abhay Singh
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.