- Representatives of four-nations agree to meet again in Kabul on 23rd
- Sartaj Aziz says Pakistan wants to engage as many Taliban groups for talks as possible
- Says joint effort will help persuade Taliban to join process and lead to significant reduction in violence
The third meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) on Peace Process in Afghanistan on Saturday resolved to continue joint efforts for direct talks between the Afghan government and Afghan Taliban groups by the end of this month.
The members of the QCG from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States met here to evolve a roadmap for direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry hosted the meeting, while other delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard G Olson and China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun.
“The Group called on all Taliban groups to join the peace talks. It also adopted a roadmap stipulating the stages and steps in the process,” said a joint statement issued after the four-nation meeting.
The QCG agreed to urge the Taliban insurgents to shun violence once they joined the peace process – an uphill task as the Taliban are planning to launch their yearly ‘Spring Offensive’ soon after the start of March which brings the end of winter season in Afghanistan.
“The QCG stressed that the outcome of the reconciliation process should be a political settlement that results in the cessation of violence and durable peace in Afghanistan,” the statement said.
A well-placed source told Pakistan Today that with the demand of cessation of violence being pushed, the Afghan government was under severe pressure from Northern Alliance and pro-India groups dominating the Afghan government.
The joint communiqué further detailed that “building on the progress made in the last two meetings, the Group explored ways for holding early peace talks between the authorised representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban groups”.
The QCG however agreed to continue regular meetings to ensure a smooth way forward and decided to hold its next meeting in Kabul on February 23.
JOINT EFFORT NEEDED:
In his opening remarks to the delegates, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said a joint effort would help persuade the Taliban to join the process and lead to a “significant” reduction in violence. He said Pakistan wanted as many Taliban groups to enter into upcoming peace discussions with the Afghan government as possible.
The adviser also urged the Taliban not to attach strings for talks, recalling that the QCG had, during the last meeting in Kabul, called on the Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government without preconditions.
“We believe our collective efforts at this stage, including through supportive CBMs (Confidence Building Measures), have to be aimed at persuading the maximum number of Taliban groups to join the peace talks,” Aziz said, adding, “This will impart a momentum to the process offering incentive of political mainstreaming to the insurgent groups, and will gradually shrink the space for the irreconcilables.”
Aziz reaffirmed Pakistan’s efforts for peace in Afghanistan as very important for regional peace and stability, saying, “We firmly believe that a politically-negotiated settlement through an all inclusive intra-Afghan reconciliation process will contribute towards accomplishing our shared goal of lasting peace in Afghanistan.”
“Towards this end, Pakistan has been engaged in serious and consistent efforts to facilitate an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led reconciliation process,” he added.
The adviser also hoped that the start of direct dialogue between the Afghan government and insurgents would lead to a decline in incidents of violence. “For decades, people of Afghanistan have suffered from an unending cycle of violence. They need lasting peace and stability. Therefore, the QCG’s works towards advancing political reconciliation in Afghanistan is of crucial importance. We are confident that the process would lead to a significant reduction in violence,” he maintained.
“In our view, a clear, well-defined and actionable roadmap for the peace process between the Afghan government and Taliban groups is important. It should identify and stipulate various stages of the process while measuring the progress being made at each stage. It should also serve to convey positive signals about unflinching commitment of the parties to the peace process,” added the adviser.
Aziz also called for focus on proper sequencing of the measures in the peace process, timely joint decisions, actions on key issues, and effective coordination among the QCG countries as the reconciliation process moves forward and delivers the desired outcome.
“This quadrilateral framework is based on our mutual consensus that political reconciliation is the most viable option for promoting long term peace and stability in Afghanistan. Therefore, we have to exert all our efforts and energies on keeping the process on track. Persistence and perseverance will be required for guarding against the impediments, avoiding a July 2015-like situation,” he added.
Aziz also praised the commitment and efforts of the Afghan National Unity Government for promoting durable peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan through political settlement. “We also commend the constructive role of the US and China for facilitating the peace process,” concluded the PM’s adviser.
Kabul too expressed its eagerness for results. “We are desperately waiting to see the immediate effects and results of our quadrilateral meetings and the progress we have made in the two previous meetings,” Javed Faisal, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, told media.
The first round of the roadmap talks was held in Islamabad last month, where delegates began laying the groundwork for direct dialogue between Kabul and the Islamist group.
A second round was held in Kabul on January 18 which urged the Taliban groups to enter into early talks with the Afghan government without preconditions.
Taliban representatives have been notably absent during the process and analysts caution that any substantive talks are still a long way off.
Pakistan hosted a milestone first round of talks directly with the Taliban in July last year. But the negotiations stalled when the insurgents belatedly confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar, sparking infighting within the group.
The dominant faction of the Taliban is led by Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who officially succeeding founder Mullah Omar. A major breakaway faction meanwhile is led by Muhammad Rasul, whose faction is seen by some analysts as closer to Iran.
