Let’s talk peace!

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Britain on Monday urged the Afghan Taliban to join the peace talks to resolve the situation in the war-ravaged country.
Addressing a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Afghan President Hamid Karzai after the trilateral talks on the post withdrawal scenario in Afghanistan, President Asif Ali Zardari has said that a peaceful Afghanistan was extremely imperative for stability and prosperity in Pakistan.
The president said both neighbouring countries could only survive in a peaceful atmosphere, adding that Pakistan fully supported the initiative of negotiation between Afghan government and Taliban.
Zardari reiterated his resolve that Pakistan would extend full support to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
On the occasion David Cameron issued a direct appeal to the Taliban to enter peaceful talks on the future of Afghanistan
He said the Afghan and Pakistani presidents had agreed to an unprecedented level of cooperation and to sign a strategic partnership between their two countries in autumn.
“Now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful, political process in Afghanistan. This should lead to a future where all Afghans can participate peacefully in that country’s political process,” he added.
The summit was aimed at boosting cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, amid growing fears that a civil war could erupt when international troops leave Afghanistan in 2014.
These were the third trilateral talks in a year following meetings in Kabul in July and New York last September, but they were the first talks in which Pakistani and Afghan army and intelligence chiefs also took part.
The summit hosted by British Prime Minister Cameron was attended by President Hamid Karzai, President Asif Zardari foreign ministers, chiefs of defence staff, chiefs of intelligence, the Afghan national security adviser and the Afghan High Peace Council chairman.
The meeting discussed in detail the Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process and how to strengthen joint efforts to address extremism and advance regional peace and stability. The Afghan and Pakistani delegations agreed that the quality of dialogue and cooperation had significantly improved.
They committed themselves to continue to make strenuous efforts in the spirit of mutual interest. Both sides also agreed that good neighbourly relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, that ensured the long term stability of both countries, were of fundamental importance.
President Karzai and his delegation briefed the summit on the Afghan vision and roadmap for peace and reconciliation.
All sides agreed on the urgency of this work and committed themselves to take all necessary measures to achieve the goal of a peace settlement over the next six months. Both affirmed the importance of regional and international support. President Karzai, President Zardari Prime Minister David Cameron affirmed that they supported the opening of an office in Doha for the purpose of negotiations between the Taliban and the High Peace Council of Afghanistan as part of an Afghan-led peace process. In this context, the two sides agreed that they wanted to build greater trust and cooperation between their military and security services and agreed concrete steps to deliver this.