Intra-Afghan talks kick off as UK, Pakistan caution against spoilers

ISLAMABAD: As the Afghan government and Taliban began “truly momentous” peace talks on Saturday to end decades of war, the United Kingdom’s envoy backed Pakistan in warning the international community against the role of spoilers poised to impede the hard-earned process.

Addressing the opening session of the intra-Afghan peace talks through video link, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the forthcoming negotiations were for the Afghans to decide about their future.

“The Afghans alone must be the masters of their destiny without outside influence or interference. The spoilers from within and from without will pose formidable challenges. Constant vigilance will be required to guard against their machinations,” Qureshi cautioned.

In a tweet, British High Commissioner in Pakistan Christian Turner thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Qureshi and Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, saying Pakistan had constantly been playing a reconciliatory role for Afghan peace. He also endorsed Qureshi’s warning and said: “Now to work together for peace and against spoilers.”

In his speech, Qureshi also termed the commencement of peace talks a global recognition of Pakistan’s position of there being no-military solution to the Afghan dispute, rather, a political solution being only a way forward.

Ambassador Sadiq is representing Pakistan at the talks while the foreign minister participated virtually at the special invitation of his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani.

Among others, the key speakers at the event included Abdullah Abdullah, chairperson of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Qureshi voiced hope that all the sides would fulfil their commitments and remain committed to achieve a positive outcome. The foreign minister said the intra-Afghan negotiations were a milestone towards the establishment of peace in Afghanistan.

“The Afghan leadership must seize the historic opportunity to pave the way for a durable peace through the negotiations,” he said. The minister reiterated that considering it a collective responsibility, Pakistan always played a re-conciliatory role in the Afghan peace process and would keep it up.

He said besides Afghanistan, Pakistan was the country that had suffered the most due to the Afghan conflict — bearing attacks, deaths and the displacement of citizens aside from a huge economic loss.

While calling for the fullest role of international community to take the matter to its logical end, the foreign minister also advised against repeating past mistakes to achieve the dream of peaceful Afghanistan.

He urged the international community to continue supporting the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process while respecting the consensus to emerge from the intra-Afghan Negotiations.

Later, on Twitter, the foreign minister termed it a “historic day for Afghan peace process”. He said Pakistan had long maintained that peace, not war, is the answer.

“We are proud to champion a partnership for peace and move forward with faith and resolve that will not be deterred. Pakistan will continue to be a force for a stable and prosperous region,” he remarked.

When Pompeo spoke, he said: “We will undoubtedly encounter many challenges in the talks over the coming days, weeks and months.” He also called for the warring sides to “seize this opportunity” to secure peace. “Remember you are acting not only for this generation of Afghans but for future generations as well, your children and your grandchildren.”

Abdullah Abdullah said 12,000 civilians have been killed and another 15,000 wounded just since the US signed a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban on February 29. He called for an immediate, humanitarian ceasefire — but his plea went unanswered by Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who made no mention of a truce in his opening remarks.

Instead, Baradar repeated the insurgents’ message that Afghanistan should be run according to Islamic law, highlighting what likely will be the main sticking point in negotiations.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide urged all sides to include “women, victims and minorities and other stakeholders” in the process, saying such inclusivity is the key to an enduring accord.

Four of the 21 people on the Kabul negotiating team are women. The Taliban’s delegation of the same size has none. Habiba Sarabi, one of the women negotiators, told AFP the talks’ opening had been “very positive”.

“Everybody including Secretary Pompeo shared their solidarity, from the Taliban side also. They were in a better position compared to the last meetings. We’re on the way to building the trust,” she said.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US envoy who led talks with the Taliban, said the timetable for foreign troops to quit Afghanistan by May remained on track, and that he wanted a comprehensive ceasefire before then.

Khalilzad cautioned that Washington would not underwrite a future Afghan state that was not in line with “universal values”, including women’s rights. “There is no blank cheque,” Khalilzad said.

In the Afghan capital, residents were glued to their televisions as the opening ceremony unfolded. The US-backed negotiations come six months later than planned owing to disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap agreed in February. A comprehensive peace deal could take years, and will depend on the willingness of both sides to tailor their competing visions.

A who’s who of international stakeholders in the Afghanistan conflict spoke at the opening ceremony, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had been scheduled to speak but did not.

Qatar has quietly guided the process which has been complicated by violence in Afghanistan and the coronavirus crisis, with Doha’s chief mediator Mutlaq al-Qahtani stressing “the power of diplomacy”. “We’re advising the Taliban to preserve, to protect women’s rights,” Mutlaq said.