In Moscow, Afghan Government, Taliban Agree To Accelerate Peace Talks
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
March 19, 2021
A senior Afghan official says the government and the Taliban have agreed at a meeting in Moscow to try to accelerate talks aimed at ending decades of war in the country.
The March 19 meeting followed an international conference in the Russian capital on the intra-Afghan peace process, just six weeks before a deadline for the United States to pull out troops that have been in the war-torn country for nearly 20 years.
The gathering was aimed at breathing life into negotiations that started in September between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which have stalled over government accusations that the insurgents have done too little to halt violence.
Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, told Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency that the sides did not discuss any specific issues when they met on March 19.
But he said the Afghan government team expressed “readiness to accelerate the [peace] process” and that the Taliban “did as well.”
Abdullah also warned that if the current opportunity for peace is missed, neither side would benefit.
In a joint statement issued by the U.S. State Department after the conclusion of the March 18 conference, the United States, Russia, China, and Pakistan called on Afghanistan’s warring sides to “engage immediately in discussions on fundamental issues to resolve the conflict.”
Such issues included “the foundations of the future peaceful and stable Afghan state, the content of a political road map leading to an inclusive government, and the modalities of a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire,” it said.
“At this pivotal moment, our four states call on the parties to negotiate and conclude a peace agreement that will bring an end to over four decades of war in Afghanistan,” the statement said, urging the Taliban not to launch a spring offensive.
The Moscow meeting was the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan.
The date was fixed under a February 2020 agreement between the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. But his successor, Joe Biden, has warned that it could be difficult for the United States to meet the deadline, especially with violence escalating in the country.
A member of the Taliban delegation sent to Moscow told a press conference on March 19 that if Washington fails to withdraw its forces by May 1, the insurgents could respond with force.
Asked whether the group could launch an offensive in the spring if U.S. forces do not leave the country on time, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen said: “If they don’t leave by the end of April, they will thus violate the agreement. In this case…there would certainly be a counteraction. But we hope that it won’t happen,” according to Interfax.
The Moscow conference was seen as a curtain-raiser for a larger meeting of regional players in Turkey in April, as well as a summit that U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has asked the United Nations to organize.
The meeting included representatives of the Taliban, the Afghan government, and the country’s negotiation team, as well as officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, and the United States.
It marked the first time Washington has sent a senior official to participate in Afghan peace negotiations convened by Russia.
Khalilzad’s presence was seen as a sign of Washington’s increasing effort to attract support among regional powers for its plans for Afghanistan.
With reporting by Reuters and Interfax
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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Afghan Peace Conference Opens In Moscow Amid Continued Violence
Radio Free Afghanistan
March 18, 2021
Representatives of the Afghan government, the Taliban, and several major countries have gathered in Moscow to push for a reduction in violence to advance the peace process in Afghanistan.
“We hope that today’s conversation will help create conditions for achieving progressive inter-Afghan negotiations,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 18 in his opening remarks at the meeting — the first of three planned international conferences ahead of a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country.
The date was fixed under a February 2020 agreement made with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. But his successor, Joe Biden, has warned it could be difficult for the United States to meet the deadline, especially with violence escalating in the war-torn country.
“I’m in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave,” Biden said in an interview aired on March 17, amid a spike in violence across Afghanistan as talks in Qatar between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled.
Washington and Kabul have been pressing for a cease-fire, while the Taliban say they will negotiate it as part of talks with the Afghan government.
The conference is being attended by U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Abdullah Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan’s National Reconciliation Council, and Mullah Baradar, the Taliban deputy leader and chief negotiator at the talks in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Representatives from Pakistan, Iran, India, and China are also attending, as is the host Russia.
The Moscow gathering will be followed by a meeting of regional players next month in Turkey and a summit that Khalilzad has asked the United Nations to organize.
The United Nations, which is not participating in the Moscow talks, announced on March 17 that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nominated a new personal envoy, Jean Arnault of France, to work for peace in Afghanistan.
Arnault will work with Deborah Lyons, who is the world body’s special envoy to Afghanistan. The Canadian is also the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghan officials said four people were killed when a roadside bomb hit a vehicle carrying government employees in Kabul on March 18, while nine Afghan security force members died in a helicopter crash in central Afghanistan late the previous day.
Reports say the explosion hit a bus carrying employees of the Information and Technology Ministry.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Western-backed government in Kabul has blamed Taliban insurgents for recent attacks targeting government employees, civil society figures, and journalists.
The militant group has denied involvement in the campaign.
The Defense Ministry said the helicopter crashed in Maidan Wardak Province, with unidentified sources saying the aircraft was hit by a rocket during takeoff.
With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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Kabul Bombing Kills At Least Three Ahead Of Moscow Conference To Revive Afghan Peace Process
Radio Free Afghanistan
March 18, 2021
KABUL — Afghan officials say at least three people were killed and 11 wounded when a roadside bomb hit a vehicle carrying government employees in Kabul on March 18, as representatives of the Afghan government, the Taliban, and key countries gather in Moscow to push for a reduction in violence to advance the peace process in Afghanistan.
Police spokesman Ferdows Faramarz told reporters that the Kabul blast took place at around 7:20 a.m. in the 17th district.
Reports say the explosion hit a bus carrying employees of the Information and Technology Ministry.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, but the Western-backed government in Kabul has blamed Taliban insurgents for recent attacks targeting government employees, civil society figures, and journalists.
The militant group has denied involvement in the campaign.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said nine security force members were killed in a helicopter crash in the central province of Maidan Wardak late on March 17.
Unidentified sources were quoted as saying the helicopter was hit by a rocket during takeoff.
Amid escalating violence across Afghanistan, Moscow will host a conference later on March 18 featuring high-level delegations representing the Taliban and Afghan government as well as the United States, Pakistan, and China.
The meeting comes a day after U.S. President Joe Biden warned it could be difficult for the United States to meet a deadline set out in a U.S.-Taliban deal to withdraw all U.S. troops by May 1.
“I’m in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave,” Biden said in an interview with U.S. broadcaster ABC.
“The fact is that that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president — the former president — worked out. And so we’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision’s going to be — it’s in process now.”
The deal was signed in February 2020 during the last year of former President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump later cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 2,500 in his final days in office. They are part of a NATO mission that has just under 10,000 troops helping to train and advise Afghan security forces.
The Taliban has said the May 1 date set for the U.S. withdrawal under the deal is inflexible. In response to Biden’s comments, a Taliban spokesman told AFP there would be “consequences” if the United States did not stick to the agreed timetable.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government resumed last month in Qatar after a delay of more than a month. But the talks, which convened in September, have made little progress.
The United States is shifting focus to meetings among key regional countries aimed at pushing Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Taliban insurgents, and other Afghan political leaders to form an interim government.
The Taliban’s 10-member delegation to the Moscow talks will be led by Mullah Baradar, the group’s deputy leader and chief negotiator at the talks in Qatar. The Afghan government side will be headed by former chief executive Abdullah Abdullah.
Pakistan will be represented by veteran diplomat Mohammed Sadiq, while the United States has sent longtime Afghan envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
The Moscow gathering will be followed by a meeting of regional players next month in Turkey and a summit that Khalilzad has asked the United Nations to organize.
The Afghan government has said it would take part in the conference in Turkey, but the Taliban has not yet confirmed whether it would attend.
The United Nations, which is not participating in the Moscow talks, announced on March 17 that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has nominated a new personal envoy, Jean Arnault of France, to work for peace in Afghanistan.
Arnault will work with Deborah Lyons, who is the world body’s special envoy to Afghanistan. The Canadian is also the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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Biden Calls Afghan Exit Deadline ‘Tough’ To Meet
Joe Biden
RFE/RL Gandhara
March 17, 2021
U.S. President Joe Biden has warned that a deadline set out in a deal made by his predecessor, Donald Trump, with the Taliban to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1 “could happen, but it is tough.”
He made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with ABC News that aired on March 17. “I’m in the process of making that decision now as to when they’ll leave,” Biden said.
“The fact is that, that was not a very solidly negotiated deal that the president — the former president — worked out. And so we’re in consultation with our allies as well as the government, and that decision’s going to be — it’s in process now.”
Biden’s interview, in which he called his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a “killer” who has no soul and will soon “pay a price” for trying to meddle in last November’s presidential election, came the day before an important conference in Moscow.
Washington’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, will participate in the event on March 18, alongside the Taliban and Afghan government representatives.
The Taliban, however, has warned of “consequences” if Washington fails to meet the deadline to withdraw forces by May 1. “The Americans should end their occupation in accordance with the Doha deal and fully withdraw their forces from Afghanistan by May 1,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
The Afghan peace process has largely been stalled since Kabul and the Taliban began direct talks in September. Washington blames the Taliban for a spike in violence that has targeted civilians, government workers, and journalists.
Earlier this month, the United States circulated an alleged new plan for reinvigorating the peace process. The plan was also backed by a letter by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani urging him to support the plan, which envisions an interim government and a cease-fire. Blinken also outlined a new diplomatic push led by the United Nations to win the support of Afghanistan’s neighbors and regional powers for the peace process.
Turkey is also planning to host a senior-level meeting of Taliban and Afghan government representatives in the coming weeks “to finalize a peace agreement.”
Copyright (c) 2021. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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