In a statement on Saturday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that he would soon name the members of the High Peace Council to pursue peace talks with the Taliban. ‘The move marks a significant step toward national reconciliation, something that will hopefully end the 9-year-long gridlock’, the statement said.
Approved in June at a national peace conference, or jirga, in Kabul, the Council will include former Taliban militants, jihadi leaders, prominent public figures and women. Many, however, remain downbeat about President Karzai’s attempts to interact with insurgents, pointing to the fact that the Taliban have so far rejected peace talks while foreign troops are in place in Afghanistan. In Moscow, Afghanistan expert Viktor Korgun underscores the necessity of treading carefully on the matter.
The Kremlin is up in arms against engaging extremists, who continue to contribute to the Afghan quagmire, Korgun says. While showing its irreconcilable stance on the topic, he adds, Moscow at the same time proceeds from the assumption that the peace talks it is ready to endorse should see the involvement of Taliban insurgents who renounce violence, honor the Afghan constitution, and sever ties with terrorist networks.
For his part, Viktor Kovgun said that the main focus should be placed on reintegrating high-level Taliban commanders, who are currently calling the shots in Afghanistan. Needless to say, the country’s national security interests should remain unchanged in the wake of the potential overture, Korgun added. And of course, President Karzai ought to think twice before promising top government positions to high-ranking Taliban fighters, which should be instead nominated for secondary posts. In any case, Korgun concluded, initiating negotiations with the Taliban should be a key priority for the Afghan government if it is to tackle the ongoing political standoff in the country. ANNOUNCER: A report by Vyacheslav Solovyov.
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