Taliban assure Biden admin of implementing Doha Deal

KABUL: Taliban in a statement about the outcome of the United States election on Tuesday said they remain committed to the implementation of the agreement they signed with the US in February, calling it an “excellent document” to end the war in the country.

The group said that they emphasize to the new US administration that the withdrawal of “all US forces” from Afghanistan, avoiding interference in Afghan affairs and preventing the use of Afghanistan as a threat to the US is in the interest of Afghanistan and the US as well as the people of both countries.

The Taliban said the implementation of the US-Taliban agreement “is the most reasonable and effective tool for ending the conflict with the US,” referring to their fight against the US forces. “We remain committed to the agreement on our part and view it as a powerfulbasis for solving the Afghan issue and we also give preference to solving our internal problems through dialogue and negotiations,” the statement said. The peace negotiations were inaugurated in September where teams representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban held more than 10 contact group meetings to discuss procedural rules for the talks. The two sides have agreed on almost all ground rules for negotiations except two: the religious basis for the talks and the connection of the US-Taliban deal with the talks in Doha.

Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit through a video conference on Tuesday where he highlighted Afghanistan’s peace in the region and said violence has remained high by the Taliban despite their commitments. “Unfortunately, not only the promised reduction of violence and comprehensive ceasefire has not been realized, but the violence by the Taliban has increased substantially,” Ghani said. Ghani said state-to-state cooperation within a regional and global framework is key to dealing with all terrorist networks attempting to disrupt peace, progress and cooperation. “As respect for sovereignty is a cardinal principle of SCO, we ask all of you to support a sustainable peace process within the framework of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan,” he said.

Ghani said that Afghanistan is faced with “multiple forms of turmoil” but peace remains “most urgent and important priority” for the country.“As a state and society, we have demonstrated the commitment, compassion and courage to make hard decisions to start direct peace negotiations with the Taliban,” Ghani said, referring to the release of over 5,000 Taliban prisoners. President Ghani mentioned Kabul University attack in which over 22 people were killed, calling it inhumane. He said the attack “is a symptom of cult of violence and reliance on drug production and smuggling of our natural capital and cultural heritage as sources of funding that requires a reality check.