A step in the right direction for peace

• There are still a lot of sticking-points

By R Maxwell Bone

On July 7 and 8 a broad delegation of representatives from Afghan society partook in an Intra-Afghan dialogue session with the Taliban. The talks in Doha, jointly organised by Qatar and Germany, marked the first time such a diverse group formally engaged in dialogue. However, all participants attended in their personal capacities, not as representatives of organisations they are affiliated with. Thus, the Taliban could meet government officials without formally engaging the government.

The Intra-Afghan Dialogue is undoubtedly an achievement. Since last fall, the USA has had seven rounds of negotiations with the Taliban Yet, direct engagement between Afghan citizens and the Taliban has been extremely limited, to two sessions in Moscow between President Ashraf Ghani’s political opponents and Taliban leaders, in May and February, both ending in gridlock.

Thus far, all efforts to bring together a diverse and all-encompassing group to engage with the Taliban failed due to political infighting. In April a similar attempt fell apart at the last minute due to disagreements between the two sides regarding the size and composition of the Afghan delegation. Such failures to engage the Afghan government and civil society in the peace process with the Taliban led to anxiety about the peace process. Some concerns were logical, including that the USA would rush to a final deal and withdraw troops without preserving the gains of the past 18 years. Others were met with outrage, such as accusations US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad was intentionally excluding Afghans so he could eventually become president.

Nevertheless, the Intra-Afghan dialogue can allay some concerns, at least temporarily. During it, the two sides were able to directly raise concerns over women’s rights to elections to the role of Islam. The two sides managed to release a joint statement of principles at the end. The Afghan delegation was unanimously united in their demands to the Taliban. This was noted by Khalid Noor, an influential youth activist from Balkh province who was also in Moscow in May, “All of us were united in what we were demanding from the Taliban, which is the preservation of the current system of government, a republic.”

The Intra-Afghan dialogue was undoubtedly a step in the right direction to further the peace process in an attempt to bring an end to the decades long war in Afghanistan. However, there is still a significant time period and objectives that must be accomplished before formal negotiations even commence. Further, it is imperative that succeeding steps in the peace process are inclusive if one wishes to reach an agreement that is long lasting and sustainable

Notably, this was the first time this question has been directly raised with the Taliban. Currently. Afghanistan is a constitutional republic, in which the government is democratically elected. The Taliban believe that Afghanistan must be governed as an Islamic Emirate, like Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia or potentially the UAE.

When the Taliban ruled they renamed the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Taliban has continued to insist that this is the only system of governance the militant group would accept in any peace agreement. Understandably, this issue was foremost for many Afghans who value their democratic system. The USA bolstered this worry by clearly stating that the system is an issue to be decided directly between Afghans and the Taliban, not the USA and them.

The discussion between on this has not made anyone easy. Mr Noor indicated he asked them very directly, if they would support a republic with elections. “Given that the system as it is today has to change, would they be willing to become part of the democratic system and participate in elections or not?” he asked. Unsurprisingly, the Taliban refused to directly answer this. In effect, this left the Afghan people with more questions than answers regarding Taliban willingness to integrate.

Another question unanswered is the Taliban stance on press freedom. This is particularly relevant as only a few weeks ago the Taliban called for major media outlets to be attacked. This issue was brought up directly in Doha. “It is somewhat confusing, but also very worrisome. They (Taliban) claim they support journalists and freedom of the press but at the same time they recently threatened to attack media outlets that they say are spreading anti-Jihad propaganda,” indicated Noor. He continued, “I then asked them directly about the order they issued to attack journalists. They claimed this was only regarding advertisements calling for their fighters to be killed, but to me that claim just does not add up.”

These and other issues were addressed in a press statement released late in the night after the dialogue concluded. Yet, this is merely an outline and broad agreement on several issues that unfortunately will likely not hold. The Taliban claimed they would cease actively targeting civilians. However, it is unlikely, given its actions over the nearly two decades. Other issues such as women’s rights were agreed to in the overall context of being in accordance with Islamic Law. Understandably, this has caused concern as such a context could be used to impose draconian restrictions on women’s rights commonplace in Islamic kingdoms like Saudi Arabia.

In short, the Intra-Afghan dialogue that occurred in Qatar is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, yet it did not solidify anything and is only the beginning of a process that is likely going to be combative and long. Specifically, following an agreement between the USA and the Taliban on issues of military positioning and security, the Afghan government will have to engage in direct negotiations with the Taliban over the future of the country. This is immensely worrisome to Noor who fears that such a process might not be inclusive. He stated “Yes, the Intra-Afghan dialogue was very inclusive and representative of Afghan society. However, this is merely dialogue and the real test will be in formal negotiations.” Noor strongly holds the conviction that all factions of Afghan society must make concessions in order to approach the peace process in a unified manner. He claims that “if the current government thinks that they can negotiate a peace accord with the Taliban that will last if they do not involve the political opposition they are lying to themselves. The same is true regarding the involvement of youth and women.”

The Intra-Afghan dialogue was undoubtedly a step in the right direction to further the peace process in an attempt to bring an end to the decades long war in Afghanistan. However, there is still a significant time period and objectives that must be accomplished before formal negotiations even commence. Further, it is imperative that succeeding steps in the peace process are inclusive if one wishes to reach an agreement that is long lasting and sustainable.

R Maxwell Bone is Vice President for Political Affairs, Democracy, and Governance at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD). He lives in Washington, DC. Follow him on Twitter @maxbone55