Afghan reconciliation: Taliban leadership gives go-ahead for peace talks!

[Norwegian]

A file photo of the Afghan Taliban. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of the Afghan Taliban has approved ‘preliminary peace talks’ with Kabul, a former top commander of the group who is privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Taliban officials, who had been involved in talks with the Pakistanis and the Chinese, and had sought time for consultations with the senior leaders, have received a green signal from the leadership,” he said on the condition of anonymity. He confirmed that “Pakistani officials had advised Taliban leaders to sit face-to-face with the Afghan government and put their demands to find out a political solution to the problem.”

Some leaders affiliated with the Taliban political office in Doha are expected to visit Pakistan soon for discussions to explore ways for the proposed peace dialogue, another Taliban leader said on Sunday.

“A small delegation will be visiting Pakistan in days for consultations,” he said.

He added that the delegation will also discuss the reopening of the Doha office, which was closed just days after opening in 2013 after Afghanistan’s then president Hamid Karzai rejected the Taliban’s move to display a plaque reading ‘The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ at the facility.

Although the office in Doha is still closed, Taliban sources said the group’s negotiators have remained in Qatar. Some more negotiators are likely to join them once the dialogue process begins, they added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban leader said senior representatives Qari Din Muhammad and Abbas Stanakzai will be part of the team visiting Pakistan.

According to Taliban sources, Qari Din had led a delegation of the group in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing in November. Qari Din also held follow up discussions with Chinese diplomats in Beijing and recently visited Pakistan in connection with the proposed talks as well, they said.

Some former Taliban leaders have warned that the Afghan government should not be bypassed in any proposed dialogue as such moves had failed in the past. “Kabul must be completely involved in any process and the talks should be held in Qatar and not in any other country,” former senior Taliban leader Akbar Agha told The Express Tribune from the Afghan capital.

Agha, who is one of the founders of the Taliban movement, said that the withdrawal of all foreign troops should top the talks’ agenda as “there would be no peace until all foreign forces quit Afghanistan.”

Senior Afghan government officials are optimistic about the peace process after Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif assured President Ashraf Ghani that Islamabad will cooperate with Kabul in the reconciliation process.

President Ghani’s adviser for reforms and good governance, Ahmad Zia Masood expressed the hope that peace talks with Taliban would yield positive results.

“We have received positive messages regarding the peace process from various sources,” he told reporters in Kabul. “I hope durable peace will be established soon throughout the country,” Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency quoted Masood as saying on Sunday.

A day earlier, at a news conference alongside the US defence secretary, President Ghani had said that “Ground has been paved for result-oriented peace talks, which are in the interests of Afghans.”

A statement issued by the Afghan Presidential Palace also said President Ghani has appreciated Pakistan’s recent efforts in paving the ground for peace and reconciliation. “We welcome the recent position Islamabad has taken in pronouncing Afghanistan’s enemy as Pakistan’s enemy,” the statement added.

Taliban could face opposition

Taliban leaders could face some resistance from hardliners who are not in favour of dialogue, sources in the group said. According to them, the leadership would find it difficult to convince those fighting in the battlefield.

Some Taliban leaders parted ways with the movement when the Doha office opened and formed the Fidaye Mahaz and the Dadullah Mahaz splinter groups.

Dadullah Mahaz is being led by Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of Mullah Dadullah Akhund, the former Taliban military chief who was killed in 2007 by British and US forces.

Mansoor Dadullah, who considers himself as part of the Taliban movement, has opposed any peace talks on previous occasions.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2015.
Afghan reconciliation: Taliban leadership gives go-ahead for peace talks – The Express Tribune

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

@Shotgunner51 @TimeTraveller @Keel @Genesis @Basel @haviZsultan @kristisipe @Raphael @Zarvan @Hyperion @Beast @Kiarash @sweetgrape @JSCh @sword1947 @Martian2 @Chinese-Dragon @Aamna Ali @metronome @syedali73 @bolo @dlclong @Beidou2020 @Ind4Ever @naveen mishra @OrionHunter @Blue_Eyes @Shinigami @zip @itachiii @anant_s @Kloitra @genmirajborgza786 @Agent Smith @13 komaun @Chanakya's_Chant @StormShadow @bhangi bava @Zebra @indiatester @DRAY @wolfschanzze @Bagha @jbgt90 @seiko @SAMEET @RAMPAGE @Pakistani shaheens @Rashid Mahmood @VelocuR @syedali73 @Norwegian @Gunsnroses @graphican @pkuser2k12 @Dalit @Junaid B @yesboss @Shotgunner51 @rockstar08 @Pomegranate @karakoram @Jazzbot @kollang @dexter @Spy Master @The Usman @tarrar @DRaisinHerald @TOPGUN @Zizou @Pakistani Exile @TankMan @haman10 @CHARGER @Jaanbaz @DotHeadHunter

 

[WAJsal]

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

As long as they are doing us a favor,why not.It will be interesting to see how the Chinese go about business.
It is time to end violence in Afghanistan,talks are just a waste of time,they will fail.

 

[HttpError]

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

Money Talks, and its a Trio Afg-Pak-China. Pakistan welcomes the bigger role of China. As we 3 are neighbors have very friendly relationship with our cooperation we can have peace and prosperity.

 

[Chanakya's_Chant]

A file photo of the Afghan Taliban. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of the Afghan Taliban has approved ‘preliminary peace talks’ with Kabul, a former top commander of the group who is privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Taliban officials, who had been involved in talks with the Pakistanis and the Chinese, and had sought time for consultations with the senior leaders, have received a green signal from the leadership,” he said on the condition of anonymity. He confirmed that “Pakistani officials had advised Taliban leaders to sit face-to-face with the Afghan government and put their demands to find out a political solution to the problem.”

Some leaders affiliated with the Taliban political office in Doha are expected to visit Pakistan soon for discussions to explore ways for the proposed peace dialogue, another Taliban leader said on Sunday.

“A small delegation will be visiting Pakistan in days for consultations,” he said.

He added that the delegation will also discuss the reopening of the Doha office, which was closed just days after opening in 2013 after Afghanistan’s then president Hamid Karzai rejected the Taliban’s move to display a plaque reading ‘The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ at the facility.

Although the office in Doha is still closed, Taliban sources said the group’s negotiators have remained in Qatar. Some more negotiators are likely to join them once the dialogue process begins, they added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban leader said senior representatives Qari Din Muhammad and Abbas Stanakzai will be part of the team visiting Pakistan.

According to Taliban sources, Qari Din had led a delegation of the group in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing in November. Qari Din also held follow up discussions with Chinese diplomats in Beijing and recently visited Pakistan in connection with the proposed talks as well, they said.

Some former Taliban leaders have warned that the Afghan government should not be bypassed in any proposed dialogue as such moves had failed in the past. “Kabul must be completely involved in any process and the talks should be held in Qatar and not in any other country,” former senior Taliban leader Akbar Agha told The Express Tribune from the Afghan capital.

Agha, who is one of the founders of the Taliban movement, said that the withdrawal of all foreign troops should top the talks’ agenda as “there would be no peace until all foreign forces quit Afghanistan.”

Senior Afghan government officials are optimistic about the peace process after Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif assured President Ashraf Ghani that Islamabad will cooperate with Kabul in the reconciliation process.

President Ghani’s adviser for reforms and good governance, Ahmad Zia Masood expressed the hope that peace talks with Taliban would yield positive results.

“We have received positive messages regarding the peace process from various sources,” he told reporters in Kabul. “I hope durable peace will be established soon throughout the country,” Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency quoted Masood as saying on Sunday.

A day earlier, at a news conference alongside the US defence secretary, President Ghani had said that “Ground has been paved for result-oriented peace talks, which are in the interests of Afghans.”

A statement issued by the Afghan Presidential Palace also said President Ghani has appreciated Pakistan’s recent efforts in paving the ground for peace and reconciliation. “We welcome the recent position Islamabad has taken in pronouncing Afghanistan’s enemy as Pakistan’s enemy,” the statement added.

Taliban could face opposition

Taliban leaders could face some resistance from hardliners who are not in favour of dialogue, sources in the group said. According to them, the leadership would find it difficult to convince those fighting in the battlefield.

Some Taliban leaders parted ways with the movement when the Doha office opened and formed the Fidaye Mahaz and the Dadullah Mahaz splinter groups.

Dadullah Mahaz is being led by Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of Mullah Dadullah Akhund, the former Taliban military chief who was killed in 2007 by British and US forces.

Mansoor Dadullah, who considers himself as part of the Taliban movement, has opposed any peace talks on previous occasions.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2015.
Afghan reconciliation: Taliban leadership gives go-ahead for peace talks – The Express Tribune

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

@Shotgunner51 @TimeTraveller @Keel @Genesis @Basel @haviZsultan @kristisipe @Raphael @Zarvan @Hyperion @Beast @Kiarash @sweetgrape @JSCh @sword1947 @Martian2 @Chinese-Dragon @Aamna Ali @metronome @syedali73 @bolo @dlclong @Beidou2020 @Ind4Ever @naveen mishra @OrionHunter @Blue_Eyes @Shinigami @zip @itachiii @anant_s @Kloitra @genmirajborgza786 @Agent Smith @13 komaun @Chanakya's_Chant @StormShadow @bhangi bava @Zebra @indiatester @DRAY @wolfschanzze @Bagha @jbgt90 @seiko @SAMEET @RAMPAGE @Pakistani shaheens @Rashid Mahmood @VelocuR @syedali73 @Norwegian @Gunsnroses @graphican @pkuser2k12 @Dalit @Junaid B @yesboss @Shotgunner51 @rockstar08 @Pomegranate @karakoram @Jazzbot @kollang @dexter @Spy Master @The Usman @tarrar @DRaisinHerald @TOPGUN @Zizou @Pakistani Exile @TankMan @haman10 @CHARGER @Jaanbaz @DotHeadHunter

Does these "Peace Talks" mean some sort of an immediate ceasefire? I have been hearing of it since 2014 but in the meanwhile the number of civilian casualties in 2014 leapt by more than 20 percent from a year earlier, according to the UN's annual casualty report, with most killed in ground fighting.There has been talk of a growing rift in recent years between the Taliban's ageing central leadership and younger, more hardline field commanders.

First the Taliban should declare a ceasefire - whats the use of these "peace talks" when at the other end there is a surge in the civilian casualties?

 

[Jazzbot]

What's up with Taliban's love with Qatar?

 

[anant_s]

What exactly is China's role in the talks i mean i can understand Pakistan's role, but Chinese involvement is perplexing. Can i get more details on this?

 

[RAMPAGE]

Afghan peace solution must be in accordance with the wishes of Afghan people.

Afghan Taliban must come out of their little caves and play in a civilized manner. If Afganis wish it then they can establish an Islamic state with Islamic laws and still be in the loop.

 

[TimeTraveller]

A file photo of the Afghan Taliban. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: The top leadership of the Afghan Taliban has approved ‘preliminary peace talks’ with Kabul, a former top commander of the group who is privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

“Taliban officials, who had been involved in talks with the Pakistanis and the Chinese, and had sought time for consultations with the senior leaders, have received a green signal from the leadership,” he said on the condition of anonymity. He confirmed that “Pakistani officials had advised Taliban leaders to sit face-to-face with the Afghan government and put their demands to find out a political solution to the problem.”

Some leaders affiliated with the Taliban political office in Doha are expected to visit Pakistan soon for discussions to explore ways for the proposed peace dialogue, another Taliban leader said on Sunday.

“A small delegation will be visiting Pakistan in days for consultations,” he said.

He added that the delegation will also discuss the reopening of the Doha office, which was closed just days after opening in 2013 after Afghanistan’s then president Hamid Karzai rejected the Taliban’s move to display a plaque reading ‘The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’ at the facility.

Although the office in Doha is still closed, Taliban sources said the group’s negotiators have remained in Qatar. Some more negotiators are likely to join them once the dialogue process begins, they added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban leader said senior representatives Qari Din Muhammad and Abbas Stanakzai will be part of the team visiting Pakistan.

According to Taliban sources, Qari Din had led a delegation of the group in meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing in November. Qari Din also held follow up discussions with Chinese diplomats in Beijing and recently visited Pakistan in connection with the proposed talks as well, they said.

Some former Taliban leaders have warned that the Afghan government should not be bypassed in any proposed dialogue as such moves had failed in the past. “Kabul must be completely involved in any process and the talks should be held in Qatar and not in any other country,” former senior Taliban leader Akbar Agha told The Express Tribune from the Afghan capital.

Agha, who is one of the founders of the Taliban movement, said that the withdrawal of all foreign troops should top the talks’ agenda as “there would be no peace until all foreign forces quit Afghanistan.”

Senior Afghan government officials are optimistic about the peace process after Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif assured President Ashraf Ghani that Islamabad will cooperate with Kabul in the reconciliation process.

President Ghani’s adviser for reforms and good governance, Ahmad Zia Masood expressed the hope that peace talks with Taliban would yield positive results.

“We have received positive messages regarding the peace process from various sources,” he told reporters in Kabul. “I hope durable peace will be established soon throughout the country,” Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency quoted Masood as saying on Sunday.

A day earlier, at a news conference alongside the US defence secretary, President Ghani had said that “Ground has been paved for result-oriented peace talks, which are in the interests of Afghans.”

A statement issued by the Afghan Presidential Palace also said President Ghani has appreciated Pakistan’s recent efforts in paving the ground for peace and reconciliation. “We welcome the recent position Islamabad has taken in pronouncing Afghanistan’s enemy as Pakistan’s enemy,” the statement added.

Taliban could face opposition

Taliban leaders could face some resistance from hardliners who are not in favour of dialogue, sources in the group said. According to them, the leadership would find it difficult to convince those fighting in the battlefield.

Some Taliban leaders parted ways with the movement when the Doha office opened and formed the Fidaye Mahaz and the Dadullah Mahaz splinter groups.

Dadullah Mahaz is being led by Mansoor Dadullah, the brother of Mullah Dadullah Akhund, the former Taliban military chief who was killed in 2007 by British and US forces.

Mansoor Dadullah, who considers himself as part of the Taliban movement, has opposed any peace talks on previous occasions.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2015.
Afghan reconciliation: Taliban leadership gives go-ahead for peace talks – The Express Tribune

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

@Shotgunner51 @TimeTraveller @Keel @Genesis @Basel @haviZsultan @kristisipe @Raphael @Zarvan @Hyperion @Beast @Kiarash @sweetgrape @JSCh @sword1947 @Martian2 @Chinese-Dragon @Aamna Ali @metronome @syedali73 @bolo @dlclong @Beidou2020 @Ind4Ever @naveen mishra @OrionHunter @Blue_Eyes @Shinigami @zip @itachiii @anant_s @Kloitra @genmirajborgza786 @Agent Smith @13 komaun @Chanakya's_Chant @StormShadow @bhangi bava @Zebra @indiatester @DRAY @wolfschanzze @Bagha @jbgt90 @seiko @SAMEET @RAMPAGE @Pakistani shaheens @Rashid Mahmood @VelocuR @syedali73 @Norwegian @Gunsnroses @graphican @pkuser2k12 @Dalit @Junaid B @yesboss @Shotgunner51 @rockstar08 @Pomegranate @karakoram @Jazzbot @kollang @dexter @Spy Master @The Usman @tarrar @DRaisinHerald @TOPGUN @Zizou @Pakistani Exile @TankMan @haman10 @CHARGER @Jaanbaz @DotHeadHunter

Thanks For Tagging Sir..............

 

[rockstar08]

What's up with Taliban's love with Qatar?

Qatri are more than we think they are ...
they are also involved in funding madarsas in Pakistan ... :hint:

 

[Zarvan]

What's up with Taliban's love with Qatar?

Qatar supports HAMAS and Taliban and many other groups

Afghanistan reported close to direct peace talks with Taliban



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8

Ghani, who enjoys a less adversarial relationship with the Taliban than his predecessor, Hamid Karzai, is said to be willing to allow certain vetted Taliban representatives to participate in amending the constitution and even taking up positions in the unity government.

A spokesman for Ghani, Ajmal Obaid Abidy, declined to confirm details of the nascent peace process, but said it “will be transparent and according to the will of the people.”

In 2013, the Taliban briefly opened a diplomatic office in the Persian Gulf sheikdom of Qatar after clandestine talks involving the United States and the European Union. Angry that Afghans had been excluded, Karzai refused to participate and roundly criticized the effort, which quickly fell apart.

Afghan and international officials say Ghani’s approach is bearing fruit.

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The peace council, long seen as ineffective, has previously been led by former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani and his son Salahuddin, who were closely allied with slain former militia commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, one of the top leaders of the Afghan jihad against Taliban rule.

Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar's capital, “said they can’t support [Motassim] publicly, but they also will not stand in the way,” the Afghan official said.

Some Afghan officials warn that the government must proceed with caution. Asadullah Hamdam, former governor of the southern province of Uruzgan, said Ghani’s government must make sure leaders in all areas of the country support the peace initiative. He referred specifically to northern Afghanistan, home of Massoud and other militia commanders who fiercely opposed the Taliban.

“Leaders in the north must be accepting, otherwise we will end up once again with a peace council that will alienate rather than engage one side or the other,” Hamdam said.

Last week, the U.S. and Taliban denied published reports that their representatives were preparing to meet in Qatar. Washington has repeatedly denied any role in direct negotiations with the Taliban, and a spokesman for the insurgent group said such talks would not take place while “thousands of invaders” remained in Afghanistan.

The 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, who are conducting counter-terrorism operations and training Afghan forces, are due to depart by the end of 2016. But Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says he is considering delaying that withdrawal.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said last week that the U.S. was “committed to enabling progress on an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned reconciliation process which can lead to a stable and secure Afghanistan.”

The denials reflected the secrecy surrounding the negotiations as well as the unpredictability of the Taliban leadership. Some analysts warn that the group has grown increasingly fractured as U.S.-led attacks have decimated their ranks, raising questions about the durability of any peace agreement.

The Afghan official said a peace deal could still have an important impact on a battlefield that is composed of many armed groups jockeying for political power.

“Everyone calls themselves Taliban now,” the official said, “so if the Taliban join the peace talks it will expose these other groups and leaders. It will isolate them.”

Latifi is a special correspondent. Staff writer Shashank Bengali in Mumbai, India, contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times

 

[tarrar]

Peace is the way forward.

 

[karakoram]

Ghani has more realistic aproch then khar-zai

 

[OrionHunter]

Well that was unexpected. Why are Chinese talking with Taliban now?

Because they have enormous economic interests in Afghanistan. There are more than a trillion dollars at stake in the mineral rich country. It is also the gateway to the Middle East. Thus without peace in the region it would be difficult for their ambitions to fructify and so the need to get the Taliban on board.