A second round of four-country talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations with the Taliban began in Kabul on Monday, even as the insurgents wage an unprecedented winter campaign of violence across Afghanistan.
Delegates from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States (US) convened in the Afghan capital for a one-day meeting seeking a negotiated end to the bloody 14-year insurgency.
Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani opened the meeting which is taking place at the Presidential Palace in the centre of the capital, Tolo News reported.
Early restoration of peace in Afghanistan is a precondition for peace in the wider region, especially Pakistan, he said, adding that it had not remained immune to the scourge of terrorism.
He urged “all Taliban groups to accept our call for peace through dialogue, and to come to the table for talks so that we can resolve all differences politically and ensure the rightful and just desire of the Afghan people for lasting peace”.
Speaking about the importance of peace in the country, he said, “There isn’t a single Afghan family that hasn’t been affected by the daily acts of brutal and deadly terrorism carried out across our cities, towns, and villages. Our children ─ girls and boys ─ are attacked on their way to school and our mosques and public spaces are blown up all in the name of a noble religion, which in reality stands for peace and peaceful coexistence.”
He said any further delay on the part of the group to join the peace talks would further isolate them in the eyes of the Afghan people, and expressed hope that the Quadrilateral Coordination Committee (QCC) would “find ways to collectively deal with those refusing to come to talks”.
He said determining mechanisms for collaborating effectively to ensure regional stability was a priority for the group.
The Afghan government is encouraged by the “the repeated strong commitment of Pakistan’s leadership during this time to cooperate with us on a range of issues, including counter-terrorism and facilitating a result-oriented peace and reconciliation process”.
“While we understand achieving a lasting peace would require patience and determination, it is equally important to keep in mind that the Afghan public will not accept an open-ended process without tangible results,” Rabbani said.
Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary is representing Pakistan at the meeting, Foreign Office Spokesman Qazi Khalilullah confirmed.
Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Shekib Mostaghni said the meeting would be attended by the same officials that met in Islamabad last week: Afghanistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard G. Olson, his Chinese counterpart Deng Xijun and the Pentagon’s senior envoy to Pakistan, Lt. Gen. Anthony Rock.
The Taliban have not been invited to this meeting.
Security in parts of the capital was tight with a heavy armed police presence.
The first round of the “roadmap” talks was held in Islamabad last week as the four nations try to lay the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Taliban.
During the meeting, Sartaj Aziz proposed four points to help guide the reconciliation process: Creating conditions to incentivise the Taliban to move away from using violence to pursue political goals and come to the negotiating table; Sequencing actions and measures appropriately to pave the way for direct talks with the Taliban; Using confidence-building measures to encourage Taliban groups to join the negotiating table; A realistic and flexible roadmap which broadly defines steps and phases ─ but avoids unrealistic targets and deadlines ─ is important for charting the course of action.
At last week’s talks in Islamabad, Javid Faisal, deputy spokesman to the Afghan Chief Executive, said Pakistan would unveil a list of Taliban members who are ready for talks, but no names have so far been released and Sartaj Aziz has refused to say whether Pakistan is in possession of such a list.
Analysts caution that any substantive talks or reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Taliban are still a long way off.
The Taliban have stepped up attacks on government and foreign targets in Afghanistan this winter, when fighting usually abates, underscoring a worsening security situation.
Last week, the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad was the target of an hours-long gun and bomb siege. The attack was claimed by the militant Islamic State group which has battled the Taliban for leadership of the insurgency in Nangarhar province.
Late Sunday a rocket launched by the militants landed very close to the Italian embassy compound. The foreign ministry in Rome reported no casualties and said it was unsure if their compound was the target.
Observers say the intensifying insurgency highlights a push by the militants to seize more territory in an attempt to wrangle greater concessions during talks.
Pakistan hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July 2015.
But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group.
Afghanistan sees the support of Pakistan as vital to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
