Afghan peace bid stumbles
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Cadets of Afghan police pray on the outskirts of Jalalabad on Thursday. Afghan forces took control of security across the country on Tuesday, marking a major milestone as US-led combat troops prepare to withdraw after 12 years of fighting. Noorullah Shirzada / Agence France-Presse |
Diplomatic squabble jeopardizes negotiations between Taliban, US
A fresh effort to end Afghanistan's 12-year-old war looked in disarray on Thursday after a diplomatic spat about the Taliban's new Qatar office delayed preliminary discussions between the United States and the Islamist insurgents.
Talks between US officials and representatives of the Taliban had been set for Thursday in Qatar but Afghan government anger at the fanfare surrounding the opening of a Taliban office in the Gulf state threw preparations into confusion.
The squabble may set the tone for what could be long and arduous negotiations to end a war that has raged since the US invasion of Afghanistan, which followed the Sept 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on US targets.
Asked when the talks would now take place, the source in Doha said, "There is nothing scheduled that I am aware of." Asked if that meant they would not happen today, the source added, "Yes that's correct."
The opening of the office was a practical step paving the way for peace talks. But the official-looking protocol surrounding the event raised angry protests in Kabul that the office would develop into a Taliban government-in-exile: A diplomatic scramble ensued to allay their concerns.
Meanwhile, Pakistan confirmed on Thursday that it has facilitated the opening of a Taliban office in Doha as part of the larger process of reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhary told the weekly news briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan has been supportive of an all-inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue and it is in that spirit that it extended support to the Doha process.
He expressed confidence that the process of reconciliation will help bring the war to an end and also lead to lasting peace in Afghanistan.
A Taliban flag that had been hoisted at the Taliban office on Tuesday had been taken down and lay on the ground on Thursday, although it appeared still attached to a flagpole.
A nameplate, inscribed with the title, "Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", had also been removed.
Questioned whether the Taliban's office in Doha had created a sense of optimism about peace efforts, the source in Doha replied: "Optimism and pessimism are irrelevant. The most important thing is that we now know the Taliban are ready to talk, and sometimes talk is expensive."
Reuters-Xinhua
