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Prisoner release needs ‘transparent mechanism’, says Ghani
BY AGENCIES , (LAST UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO)
–Afghan president also calls for ‘executive guarantee’ that Taliban prisoners will not return to violence after their release
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that there is a need for a “transparent mechanism” to release the Taliban prisoners – as part of a peace deal between the US and the Taliban.
Addressing a ceremony on the second anniversary of the 17th National Assembly, Ghani also said that there is a need for an “executive guarantee” for the release of the prisoners.
Based on the US-Taliban agreement signed on Feb. 29 in Qatar, up to 5,000 prisoners of the Taliban in the Afghan government’s custody should be released by March 10 ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
Saturday’s event was attended by Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish and members of the two parliament houses – the Wolesi Jirga and the Meshrano Jirga.
Calling the current condition “critical” in terms of an opportunity for peace, Ghani said the people’s request is that there should be an executive guarantee so that these people (prisoners) will not return to violence once they are released.
Ghani said discussions were made last week about the negotiating team. “Our negotiating team will be ready by March 10,” Ghani said.
Ghani called on MPs to announce a selection of two members from the Meshrano Jirga (including one woman) and five members of the Wolesi Jirga (including two women) to participate in the High Council of Reconciliation.
But President Ghani did not make it clear whether he will conduct consolations with the seven lawmakers, or if he will include them on the negotiating team.
“Afghanistan is in a critical stage and is in dire need of unity. We can only overcome challenges with the perspective of national unity,” Ghani concluded.
On March 1, a day after the signing of a historic peace deal between the Taliban and US, President Ghani had rejected the Taliban demand for the release of the 5,000 prisoners as a condition for talks with Afghanistan’s government and civilians.
Under the accord, the US and Taliban are committed to work expeditiously to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10.
On the issue of the prisoner swap, Ghani said, “It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator.”
Ghani told CNN that US President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the issue of prisoner releases should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal. The political consensus needed for such a major step does not currently exist, Ghani said.
Ghani said key issues need to be discussed first including the Taliban’s ties with Pakistan and other countries that had offered it sanctuary, its ties with what he called terrorist groups and drug cartels, and the place of Afghanistan’s security forces and its civil administration.
“The people of Afghanistan need to believe that we’ve gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict,” Ghani added.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/03/07/prisoner-release-needs-transparent-mechanism-says-ghani/
BY AGENCIES , (LAST UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO)
–Afghan president also calls for ‘executive guarantee’ that Taliban prisoners will not return to violence after their release
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday said that there is a need for a “transparent mechanism” to release the Taliban prisoners – as part of a peace deal between the US and the Taliban.
Addressing a ceremony on the second anniversary of the 17th National Assembly, Ghani also said that there is a need for an “executive guarantee” for the release of the prisoners.
Based on the US-Taliban agreement signed on Feb. 29 in Qatar, up to 5,000 prisoners of the Taliban in the Afghan government’s custody should be released by March 10 ahead of the intra-Afghan negotiations.
Saturday’s event was attended by Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish and members of the two parliament houses – the Wolesi Jirga and the Meshrano Jirga.
Calling the current condition “critical” in terms of an opportunity for peace, Ghani said the people’s request is that there should be an executive guarantee so that these people (prisoners) will not return to violence once they are released.
Ghani said discussions were made last week about the negotiating team. “Our negotiating team will be ready by March 10,” Ghani said.
Ghani called on MPs to announce a selection of two members from the Meshrano Jirga (including one woman) and five members of the Wolesi Jirga (including two women) to participate in the High Council of Reconciliation.
But President Ghani did not make it clear whether he will conduct consolations with the seven lawmakers, or if he will include them on the negotiating team.
“Afghanistan is in a critical stage and is in dire need of unity. We can only overcome challenges with the perspective of national unity,” Ghani concluded.
On March 1, a day after the signing of a historic peace deal between the Taliban and US, President Ghani had rejected the Taliban demand for the release of the 5,000 prisoners as a condition for talks with Afghanistan’s government and civilians.
Under the accord, the US and Taliban are committed to work expeditiously to release combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, with the coordination and approval of all relevant sides. The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives by March 10.
On the issue of the prisoner swap, Ghani said, “It is not in the authority of United States to decide, they are only a facilitator.”
Ghani told CNN that US President Donald Trump had not asked for the release of the prisoners and that the issue of prisoner releases should be discussed as part of a comprehensive peace deal. The political consensus needed for such a major step does not currently exist, Ghani said.
Ghani said key issues need to be discussed first including the Taliban’s ties with Pakistan and other countries that had offered it sanctuary, its ties with what he called terrorist groups and drug cartels, and the place of Afghanistan’s security forces and its civil administration.
“The people of Afghanistan need to believe that we’ve gone from war to peace, and not that the agreement will be either a Trojan horse or the beginning of a much worse phase of conflict,” Ghani added.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/03/07/prisoner-release-needs-transparent-mechanism-says-ghani/
