ISLAMABAD: The NATO’s Afghan exit strategy unveiled in Lisbon is aimed at reviving the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban that came to a halt recently after the latter refused to continue with the talks in the absence of clear-cut “US plan for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan”.
The exit plan endorsed by NATO leaders on Saturday after their summit meeting will see the 150,000-strong NATO-led force in Afghanistan begin transferring parts of the battlefield to Afghan army and police and move Western troops into a supporting role by the end of 2014.
The Taliban on Sunday called the NATO’s plan a “sign of failure” for the US government. “It is good news for Afghans and all freedom-loving people of the world and it is a sign of failure for the American government,” the Taliban said in a statement.
Pakistani officials privy to developments on the Karzai-Taliban peace dialogue front said the NATO leadership, including US President Barack Obama, decided to come up with the exit strategy after they received feedback from Afghanistan that the Taliban were not willing to engage in any meaningful negotiations with Kabul unless US and other foreign nations announced a definite “exit plan”.
“The Taliban had been talking to President Karzai’s representatives for the last few months and contacts are still on at a low level, but the high-level negotiations came to a halt recently after the US refused to accept the Taliban’s demand,” a senior Pakistani official said, asking not to be named.
He said the Taliban would be somewhat pleased after the announcement, despite their desire for an immediate action on part of US and its allies, adding that NATO’s announcement in Lisbon could lead to re-initiation of the stalled dialogue.
A Pakistani intelligence official confirmed that NATO’s fresh plan had been announced to restore the stalled Karzai-Taliban peace negotiations. He said Pakistan, which is playing a role of facilitator, had also been urging major players in the Afghan conflict, including the US, the Karzai government and the Taliban leadership, to be supple, instead of maintaining rigid stances.
