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Afghan Taliban share details of peace talks with Pakistan
The Afghan Taliban have reportedly disclosed to Pakistani officials a “functional blueprint” for formal talks with the U.S. in Qatar, a Taliban leader told The Express Tribune on Tuesday, to make sure Pakistan was comfortable with all of the agenda items.
The Taliban also recently updated the Haqqani network as Dr Nasiruddin Haqqani, the elder brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, met with the top Taliban negotiator, Tayyeb Agha, in Dubai.
Former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef supports US-Taliban talks but strongly opposes the involvement of "neighboring countries." Zaeef told the The Express Tribune by phone from Kabul:
Qatar plans on sending a delegation to Kabul to get the Karzai administration's buy-in. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed that the group had formally opened a liaison office in the Qatari capital of Doha, a development that initially enraged Karzai triggering him to pull the Afghan ambassador from Qatar.
U.S. envoy Marc Grossman stated earlier this week that the Taliban have yet to explicitly state that they even want to participate in talks. Some fear the Taliban have zero desire to negotiate, according to the New York Times, and are opening the office in Qatar to simply enhance their international prestige and will simply wait until NATO fully withdraws in 2014.
Grossman said before talks begin the Taliban must publicly renounce links with international terrorists while the Taliban, for their part, are demanding that the U.S. release Taliban prisoners from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Although Grossman indicated the U.S. might be willing to follow through on such an arrangement, Congress would have to be consulted before a decision was made.
Grossman and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have been adamant that there cannot be a comprehensive peace process without Pakistan’s involvement.
Pakistan and Afghanistan leaders are irritated that the U.S. has been, allegedly, engaging in secret talks with the Taliban and are paranoid of being sidelined during the peace process.
Karzai tried to flex muscle last week by proving he can bring militants to the table when he announced meeting delegates from Hezb-i-Islami, which is led by the notorious Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former mujahideen ally of the U.S.
Karzai is against a Taliban political office in Doha because he says that Qatar is a small country in the Islamic world. Not to mention that other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran are opposed to Doha as a venue for peace talks.
American analysts Thomas Johnson and Chris Mason are vehemently opposed to negotiating with the Taliban altogether, outlining their reasons in a recent Foreign Policy piece:
Security analysts speculate the discord could be a sign that coalition battlefield successes have impacted Mullah Omar’s leadership team. It could also mean the insurgency has fallen into the hands of more radical, junior leaders who operate independently of Taliban central.
Mullah Omar seems to be struggling to maintain control as subordinates refuse to abide by Omar’s commands to avoid harming civilians. Just last week a suicide bomber killed at least seven civilians and two policemen in Helmand province.
For more reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan go to www.michaelhughesassoc.com
http://www.examiner.com/afghanistan-...-with-pakistan
The Taliban also recently updated the Haqqani network as Dr Nasiruddin Haqqani, the elder brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, met with the top Taliban negotiator, Tayyeb Agha, in Dubai.
Former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef supports US-Taliban talks but strongly opposes the involvement of "neighboring countries." Zaeef told the The Express Tribune by phone from Kabul:
“If Pakistan is involved in the talks, then Iran, India and other neighbours will also want to have a say in the process. Afghans cannot afford such rivalries. Afghans must make decisions independently and all countries should extend diplomatic support to the Afghan peace process. Afghans are passing through a difficult phase and if other countries enter the dialogue process at this stage, then the process would not produce tangible results.”
Qatar plans on sending a delegation to Kabul to get the Karzai administration's buy-in. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed that the group had formally opened a liaison office in the Qatari capital of Doha, a development that initially enraged Karzai triggering him to pull the Afghan ambassador from Qatar.
U.S. envoy Marc Grossman stated earlier this week that the Taliban have yet to explicitly state that they even want to participate in talks. Some fear the Taliban have zero desire to negotiate, according to the New York Times, and are opening the office in Qatar to simply enhance their international prestige and will simply wait until NATO fully withdraws in 2014.
Grossman said before talks begin the Taliban must publicly renounce links with international terrorists while the Taliban, for their part, are demanding that the U.S. release Taliban prisoners from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Although Grossman indicated the U.S. might be willing to follow through on such an arrangement, Congress would have to be consulted before a decision was made.
Grossman and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have been adamant that there cannot be a comprehensive peace process without Pakistan’s involvement.
Pakistan and Afghanistan leaders are irritated that the U.S. has been, allegedly, engaging in secret talks with the Taliban and are paranoid of being sidelined during the peace process.
Karzai tried to flex muscle last week by proving he can bring militants to the table when he announced meeting delegates from Hezb-i-Islami, which is led by the notorious Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a former mujahideen ally of the U.S.
Karzai is against a Taliban political office in Doha because he says that Qatar is a small country in the Islamic world. Not to mention that other Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran are opposed to Doha as a venue for peace talks.
American analysts Thomas Johnson and Chris Mason are vehemently opposed to negotiating with the Taliban altogether, outlining their reasons in a recent Foreign Policy piece:
The primary reasons why "peace talks" are delusional are three fold: First, there is no"Taliban" in the sense the proponents of talks envision it. To believe so is cultural mirroring at its peak. Second,the enemy is interested in pre-withdrawal concessions, not a settlement, in an alien culture in which seeking negotiations to end a war is surrender. To believe otherwise is simply wishful thinking. And third, no understanding with senior clerics in the Taliban movement has ever outlived the airplane flight back to New York. Like a second marriage, trusting the "Taliban" to keep a bargain is a victory of hope over experience.
Meanwhile, the USA Today reported that General John Toolan, the commander of coalition forces in southwestern Afghanistan, claims there has been infighting among some of the Taliban senior leadership. Toolan said that, "There were some killings within and among the Taliban."Security analysts speculate the discord could be a sign that coalition battlefield successes have impacted Mullah Omar’s leadership team. It could also mean the insurgency has fallen into the hands of more radical, junior leaders who operate independently of Taliban central.
Mullah Omar seems to be struggling to maintain control as subordinates refuse to abide by Omar’s commands to avoid harming civilians. Just last week a suicide bomber killed at least seven civilians and two policemen in Helmand province.
For more reports on Afghanistan and Pakistan go to www.michaelhughesassoc.com
http://www.examiner.com/afghanistan-...-with-pakistan
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