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Zardari leaving for Turkey to take up US-Taliban talks
By: Shaiq Hussain | Published: April 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari will leave for Turkey today (Monday) on a four-day official visit to discuss with Turkish leaders the US-backed Afghan reconciliation process that will involve fresh round of peace talks between the Karzai government and the Taliban on Turkish soil next month.
Islamabad and Ankara are working as main facilitators along with Saudi Arabia, UAE and other international players for the success of peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban backed by the US. Zardari’s visit to Ankara coincides with the Turkish government’s permission to the Taliban to open their office in Turkey from where they can operate politically and hold talks with various stakeholders for the settlement of the Afghan issue.
“All international players involved in the Afghanistan reconciliation process have agreed that Turkey should be the host to peace talks with the Taliban and a fresh round of talks between Karzai government and the Taliban are likely to be held on Turkish soil next month,” a Pakistani diplomat, wishing not to be named, said.
He said the Karzai-Taliban peace talks in Turkey were important in the sense that they would be broad based and apart from Muslim states like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all major players including the US, the United Kingdom and Russia were on board for the negotiations.
He said that President Zardari would discuss the Turkish plan to host the talks, as well as Ankara’s readiness to allow the Taliban to open its office on Turkish soil.
Zardari leaving for Turkey to take up US-Taliban talks | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
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Afghanistan track-II talks enter critical phase
By: Mian Abrar | Published: April 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and all other stakeholders involved in track-II dialogue on Afghanistan will hold their crucial meeting in Abu Dhabi next month and with that meeting, the ‘Abu Dhabi Peace Process’ will enter into the crucial stage to end militancy and bring peace to the war-shattered neighbouring country Pakistan.
A source told Pakistan Today on Sunday that chief of Afghan High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani has agreed to attend the crucial moot while PPP-Sherpao Chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao would represent Pakistan.
“Last year, Pakistani civil society was represented by Aftab Sherpao, ANP leader Senator Afrasiyab Khattak, PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, General (r) Ehsanul Haq, former ambassador to Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and journalist Salim Saifi while the Afghan side was represented by deputy speaker of the Afghan Lower House of parliament Mirwais Yasini, Hikmat Karzai, Farooq Wardag, Dr Farooq Azam who represented Hikmatyar, besides Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef. However, this year, it would be an exclusive but smaller gathering,” added the source.
Talking to Pakistan Today on the track-II diplomacy, Sherpao said a crucial meeting was being held in Abu Dhabi in May and Ustad Rabbani would attend the summit. However, he said, western powers were not doing enough for peace in Afghanistan and the US administration was reluctant to even support the Afghan High Peace Council.
Rejecting the semi-annual White House report on the war on terror, Sherpao said blaming Pakistan alone was not a solution, rather it could become a part of the problem as “all the actors involved in the war against terrorism were not fully supporting the initiative and the international community, the NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistani governments and their armed forces were not doing enough to win the war against militancy and restore peace in the region”.
He said peace initiative being held under the aegis of EastWest Institute could not get the desired results by merely calling the Pakistan Army responsible for lacking the commitment to win the war. He said the major problem faced by Pakistani and Afghan armies in the war against terrorism was the lack of sustainability as peace could only be restored through collective efforts and support to the process by all the players.
“In my recent meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron last week, I told him that some basic ingredients were missing out of the peace process as the western nations were not supporting the process. Even the West was not supporting Karzai government,” he said. Sherpao said how the peace process could succeed when the US was reluctant to back the Rabbani-led High Peace Council?
He said without the US support, the peace council could not give any assurance to the Taliban, adding that for the same reason the Taliban were not sending positive signals as nothing as put on the table and confusion prevailed.He said there was a need that both the stakeholders – West and Taliban – should define their respective end-state options to make talks beneficial and different confidence-building measures (CBMs) had to taken to make the talks fruitful.
Asked to elaborate, Sherpao said the US would have to convey to the Taliban how many Taliban leaders could be freed from Guantanamo Bay while some Taliban leaders would also have to be cleared of sanctions. Likewise, he added, Taliban leadership would have to reciprocate the offers by the western world to take the peace process ahead. Calling upon the Pakistan and Afghan governments to get rid of the trust deficit, Sherpao said both the neighbouring states should sign an agreement to the effect that no one would allow the use of its soil for subversive acts against each other.
Afghanistan track-II talks enter critical phase | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
By: Shaiq Hussain | Published: April 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD - President Asif Ali Zardari will leave for Turkey today (Monday) on a four-day official visit to discuss with Turkish leaders the US-backed Afghan reconciliation process that will involve fresh round of peace talks between the Karzai government and the Taliban on Turkish soil next month.
Islamabad and Ankara are working as main facilitators along with Saudi Arabia, UAE and other international players for the success of peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban backed by the US. Zardari’s visit to Ankara coincides with the Turkish government’s permission to the Taliban to open their office in Turkey from where they can operate politically and hold talks with various stakeholders for the settlement of the Afghan issue.
“All international players involved in the Afghanistan reconciliation process have agreed that Turkey should be the host to peace talks with the Taliban and a fresh round of talks between Karzai government and the Taliban are likely to be held on Turkish soil next month,” a Pakistani diplomat, wishing not to be named, said.
He said the Karzai-Taliban peace talks in Turkey were important in the sense that they would be broad based and apart from Muslim states like Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all major players including the US, the United Kingdom and Russia were on board for the negotiations.
He said that President Zardari would discuss the Turkish plan to host the talks, as well as Ankara’s readiness to allow the Taliban to open its office on Turkish soil.
Zardari leaving for Turkey to take up US-Taliban talks | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
Related
Afghanistan track-II talks enter critical phase
By: Mian Abrar | Published: April 11, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and all other stakeholders involved in track-II dialogue on Afghanistan will hold their crucial meeting in Abu Dhabi next month and with that meeting, the ‘Abu Dhabi Peace Process’ will enter into the crucial stage to end militancy and bring peace to the war-shattered neighbouring country Pakistan.
A source told Pakistan Today on Sunday that chief of Afghan High Peace Council Burhanuddin Rabbani has agreed to attend the crucial moot while PPP-Sherpao Chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao would represent Pakistan.
“Last year, Pakistani civil society was represented by Aftab Sherpao, ANP leader Senator Afrasiyab Khattak, PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, General (r) Ehsanul Haq, former ambassador to Afghanistan Muhammad Sadiq and journalist Salim Saifi while the Afghan side was represented by deputy speaker of the Afghan Lower House of parliament Mirwais Yasini, Hikmat Karzai, Farooq Wardag, Dr Farooq Azam who represented Hikmatyar, besides Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef. However, this year, it would be an exclusive but smaller gathering,” added the source.
Talking to Pakistan Today on the track-II diplomacy, Sherpao said a crucial meeting was being held in Abu Dhabi in May and Ustad Rabbani would attend the summit. However, he said, western powers were not doing enough for peace in Afghanistan and the US administration was reluctant to even support the Afghan High Peace Council.
Rejecting the semi-annual White House report on the war on terror, Sherpao said blaming Pakistan alone was not a solution, rather it could become a part of the problem as “all the actors involved in the war against terrorism were not fully supporting the initiative and the international community, the NATO, Afghanistan and Pakistani governments and their armed forces were not doing enough to win the war against militancy and restore peace in the region”.
He said peace initiative being held under the aegis of EastWest Institute could not get the desired results by merely calling the Pakistan Army responsible for lacking the commitment to win the war. He said the major problem faced by Pakistani and Afghan armies in the war against terrorism was the lack of sustainability as peace could only be restored through collective efforts and support to the process by all the players.
“In my recent meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron last week, I told him that some basic ingredients were missing out of the peace process as the western nations were not supporting the process. Even the West was not supporting Karzai government,” he said. Sherpao said how the peace process could succeed when the US was reluctant to back the Rabbani-led High Peace Council?
He said without the US support, the peace council could not give any assurance to the Taliban, adding that for the same reason the Taliban were not sending positive signals as nothing as put on the table and confusion prevailed.He said there was a need that both the stakeholders – West and Taliban – should define their respective end-state options to make talks beneficial and different confidence-building measures (CBMs) had to taken to make the talks fruitful.
Asked to elaborate, Sherpao said the US would have to convey to the Taliban how many Taliban leaders could be freed from Guantanamo Bay while some Taliban leaders would also have to be cleared of sanctions. Likewise, he added, Taliban leadership would have to reciprocate the offers by the western world to take the peace process ahead. Calling upon the Pakistan and Afghan governments to get rid of the trust deficit, Sherpao said both the neighbouring states should sign an agreement to the effect that no one would allow the use of its soil for subversive acts against each other.
Afghanistan track-II talks enter critical phase | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
