–Both parties cancel talks in Qatar after failing to agree on agenda
–Taliban claim US not serious regarding prisoner exchange, won’t agree to ceasefire unless major gains on ground achieved
–Probable peace draft suggests US and NATO withdraw their forces in 18 months
PESHAWAR: Days after demanding a change of venue for peace talks, the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday pulled out of the dialogue with the United States in Qatar, citing “agenda disagreement”, especially over the involvement of Afghan officials as well as a possible ceasefire and prisoner exchange, according to media reports.
The Taliban have refused to budge on their stance concerning the involvement of Afghan government led by President Ashraf Ghani in the peace process.
The Islamist outfit had made a similar demand on Sunday when it sought a change of venue from Saudi Arabia, saying the Saudis were pressuring them to include Ghani-led government in the talks.
“The problem is that leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wanted us to definitely meet the Afghan government delegation, which we cannot afford to do now, and we have canceled the meeting in Saudi Arabia,” a Taliban member had said at the time.
Two days of peace talks had been set to start on Wednesday, but the hardline Islamic militant group had refused to allow “puppet” Afghan officials to join.
Besides, refusing to allow the Afghan government to become part of the dialogue, both the US and Taliban have hit a snag over a potential ceasefire in 2019.
“The US officials insisted that the Taliban should meet the Afghan authorities in Qatar and both sides were in disagreement over declaring a ceasefire in 2019,” a foreign agency quoted a Taliban source as saying. “Both sides have agreed to not meet in Qatar,” it added.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said earlier the two sides were still working on the technical details and were not clear on the agenda for the talks.
The US Embassy in Kabul and Zalmay Khalilzad did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the cancellation.
The talks, which would have been the fourth round with US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, would have involved a US withdrawal, prisoner exchange and the lifting of a ban on movement of Taliban leaders, a Taliban leader had told agencies.
Taliban sources said that they had demanded US authorities release 25,000 prisoners and they would free 3,000, but that US officials were not keen to discuss the exchange at this stage.
“We would never announce any ceasefire until and unless we achieve major gains on the ground. We have the feeling that Zalmay Khalilzad doesn’t have enough power to make important decisions,” a second Taliban official said.
The Taliban said Khalilzad would visit the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China to continue the discussion. Khalilzad’s office was not available for a comment.
The upcoming negotiations, the fourth in a series aimed at ending the 17-year war in Afghanistan, were scheduled between the leaders of the Taliban and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad to discuss the withdrawal of foreign forces and a possible ceasefire in 2019.
PROBABLE PEACE AGREEMENT:
As peace talks gained momentum a draft agreement drawn up by the influential US think tank RAND Corporation outlining the clauses for a potential peace deal was circulated among Afghan officials and diplomats in Kabul.
The 49-page document titled “Agreement on a Comprehensive Settlement of the Conflict in Afghanistan” details proposals regarding a final peace agreement for Afghanistan at the end of a negotiating process.
It suggests that the United States and NATO withdraw their military missions in phases over an expected period of 18 months. It adds that the United States may continue providing civilian assistance.
The Afghan parties may invite the international community to form a small, limited “Afghanistan Support Team” focused exclusively on counter-terrorism, it suggests.
According to the document, the new political arrangements within Afghanistan will include adoption of a new constitution within the 18-month transitional period. The transitional government to be led by a rotating chairman and several vice chairmen, the document suggests.
Presidential system with “somewhat reduced powers for the president” and increased balancing of presidential power compared to the current system is suggested as the future government model.
“Parties commit to an immediate, mutual, and comprehensive ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, effective upon signature of this agreement,” reads the document.
“The Islamic Movement of the Afghan Taliban renounces unequivocally and permanently any form of links with, including providing any form of support to or receiving any form of support from, any terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda and any of its branches or related groups. The Afghan parties shall prevent any use of the territory or airspace of Afghanistan in any manner that threatens the security of any other state.”
The document suggests that the United States and NATO shall end their current military missions in Afghanistan and withdraw all their personnel in three phases, over an expected period of 18 months, but adding that the US civilian cooperation should continue in Afghanistan post deal.
The document says that Afghanistan’s security institutions such as the Afghan Army, border police and intelligence services will operate under national commands while police would be localised in order to create space for “localized solutions”.
The Afghan government says only Afghans are authorised to discuss a peace deal with the Taliban and decide on the future political system.
“Any decision regarding the peace process in Afghanistan is supposed to be the authority of the Afghan government and the Afghan people. The US and regional countries are only facilitating the peace process and they persuaded the Taliban to come and seal a peace deal with the Afghan government,” said Faraidoon Khozon, a spokesman for Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
The Rand Corporation was not immediately available to comment on the document.
BACKGROUND:
The Taliban have rejected repeated requests from regional powers to allow Afghan officials to take part in the talks, insisting that the United States is their main adversary in the 17-year war.
The insurgents, seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster by US-led troops, called off a meeting with US officials in Saudi Arabia this week because of Riyadh’s insistence on bringing the Western-backed Afghan government to the table.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE took part in the last round of talks in December.
Western diplomats based in Kabul said Pakistan’s cooperation in the peace process will be crucial to its success. Independent security analysts and diplomats said the neighbouring country’s powerful military has kept close ties with the Afghan Taliban.
US officials have accused Pakistan of providing safe haven to Taliban militants in its border regions and using them as an arm of its foreign policy. Pakistan denies the claim.
The war in Afghanistan is America’s longest overseas military intervention. It has cost Washington nearly a trillion dollars and killed tens of thousands of people.
The United States, which sent troops to Afghanistan in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington and at the peak of the deployment had more than 100,000 troops in the country, withdrew most of its forces in 2014.
It keeps around 14,000 troops there as part of a NATO-led mission aiding Afghan security forces and hunting militants.