KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of other Taliban’s peace delegation members havealso arrived in Doha, but the group has not yet commented on the matter.Earlier, sources said some members of the government’s delegation were yetto reach Doha even after the start of the second round of intra-Afghanpeace talks, but they hoped the remaining members would arrive there soon.
After three months of talks, the two sides went on a three-week break forconsultations with their leadership. However, some members of thegovernment delegation left for Qatar on January 4 and the first round oftalks was held the next day. A source in Qatar told Pajhwok Afghan Newsthat a number of members of the Taliban delegation led by Sheikh AbdulHakim Haqqani had arrived in Doha from Pakistan. He did not disclose thenumber or names of those arriving in Doha.
According to reports, after the first round of peace talks, some members ofthe Taliban delegation left Qatar at the official invitation of Pakistanand some of whom remained there. Another source identified the returningTaliban negotiators as Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Sheikh Abdul Hakim, AnasHaqqani and Mullah Fazil. Pajhwok Afghan News contacted Dr. Naeem, aspokesman for Taliban’s political office in Qatar, who said nothing aboutthe arrival of their delegation members in Doha, but told Pajhwok AfghanNews: “We were ready and we are still ready for talks.”
Earlier, there were reports that peace talks in Doha had been on hold, butsome members of the government delegation in Qatar and Dr. Naeem, calledthe reports baseless. “Peace talks in Qatar have not been delayed, thereare contacts between the two teams,” Naeem wrote on Twitter. According tohim, regular meetings took place nowhere, as sometimes need arises forintra-party meetings.
High Council for National Reconciliation spokesman, Faridoon Khwazoon, toldPajhwok Afghan News that peace talks in Qatar had not been delayed and thatthey were now working on items for the agenda. But another source in Qatarsaid there had been no meeting between the government and the Taliban sinceSunday.
The source said the first meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday, but itdid not take place and was rescheduled, but again the meeting did nothappen. He cited the incomplete Taliban’s delegation for the delay. TheTaliban have not commented in this regard. Earlier, sources said fourmembers of the government delegation were yet to leave for Doha but theycould depart in days.
Negotiators from both sides of the peace negotiations held meetings withthe US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation ZalmayKhalilzad in Doha over the past few days as they try to finalize the agendaof the talks, sources familiar with the process said. The negotiators areexpected to expedite efforts to finalize the agenda within the next fewdays, the sources said.
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“Mawlavi Abdul Hakim and a member of the Taliban are in Doha and the talksare moving forward smoothly,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Talibancommander. “Our expectation is that the parties expect something logical inthe view of the prevailing situations and the needs of Afghanistan,” saidFawzia Koofi, a member of Republic’s team. Meanwhile, First Vice PresidentAmrullah Saleh in an interview with the BBC has said that the US hasconceded too much to the Taliban.
“American mission, which began 20 years ago, is not yet accomplished,” hesaid as quoted by the BBC. Saleh warned the US forces withdrawal risks moreviolence in the country. “I am telling them [US] as a friend and as an allythat trusting the Taliban without putting in a verification mechanism isgoing to be a fatal mistake,” Saleh said. He added: “The US delegation cameto us and swore on every Holy Scripture that if you release these 5,000Taliban prisoners there will be no violence. We told them at the highestlevel that our intelligence indicated otherwise, and if we do this violencewill spike. Violence has spiked.”
“You want to negotiate with terrorism, it’s your choice. But we are tellingyou, don’t be deceived,” Saleh said in the BBC interview. Former USNational Security Adviser HR McMaster has said that the desire for a quickvictory in Afghanistan impelled a very successful initial military campaignthat unseated the Taliban government, but America’s short-term mentalityundermined efforts to achieve a sustainable political outcome.
“The peace agreement that the Donald Trump administration signed with theTaliban is a flawed, it abandoned a long-term approach in favor ofsatisfying the desire to disengage from the war,” McMaster said on theUS-Taliban peace deal. “As the US continued its withdrawal and anintra-Afghan talks stalled, the Taliban intensified attacks against Afghansecurity forces and civilians. The situation in South Asia requires aconsistent, sustainable long-term strategy based on realities.”
