Bad deal on Afghanistan not acceptable to Trump:US official

KABUL: A Whitehouse official has said that US President Donald Trump will not accept any bad deal with the Taliban about Afghanistan.

According to the official, Trump will not accept any ignorance of the achievements, especially human rights and women rights, made in Afghanistan in the past 18 years during the peace negotiations. “We are certainly prioritizing peace efforts in Afghanistan. But as with all negotiations that involve vital US national security interests, we have contingency plans. The president has indicated he hopes for the best in these peace talks, but he will also not accept a bad deal,” the official told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

The White House official has warned that if the peace talks with the Taliban fail, US has other options to use, including the military option. “He also recognizes that we have vital terrorism interests in Afghanistan and he certainly is focused on keeping American safe. So we will do what we have to do to ensure those vital national security interests are protected,” the official said.

Meanwhile, Sayed Naqibullah Hashemi, a political analyst, said: “It is difficult to resolve Afghanistan’s issue through military. Because, in the four decades of war in Afghanistan and 18 years of foreign forces presence in Afghanistan, the issue has not been solved.”

“The outline and agenda that the Americans have started for regional and international consensus, as well as among the Afghan people, is ongoing as planned. The ideas which are being expressed are just for undermining and weakening Afghanistan’s peace process,” said Bilal Niazi, a political analyst.