KABUL: Afghanistan's senate has backed proposals for a ceasefire of military operations against "Afghan Taliban" to encourage the hardliners into peace talks, a spokesman said yesterday.
The suggestion was among a raft of proposals drawn up by a senate-appointed "peace commission" and presented to the body on Tuesday, spokesman Qayom Momand Hakimzai said.
Reiterating calls by President Hamid Karzai, the proposals say Taliban who accept the constitution and the country's laws should be encouraged into peace talks, according to a copy obtained said yesterday.
They say that as a gesture of goodwill, "military operations of coalition forces and Afghan forces must stop and a countrywide ceasefire must be implemented," Hakimzai added.
However, "in case there is any need for operations, that should take place in co-ordination with Afghan national police and the government of Afghanistan," the document says.
The proposals call for a clear distinction between Taliban from Afghanistan and their counterparts from Pakistan and those in Al Qaeda.
They also urge that a timeline be mapped out for the withdrawal of foreign forces once the Afghan army and police are able to stand on their own against the threats the country faces.
Another proposal is that "immoral" broadcasts should be banned from television.
Afghan television is awash with mostly Indian films, music videos and other material that critics say play into the hands of the ultra-conservative Taliban who accuse the new government of violating Islamic values.
Another of its proposals is that development across the country should be transparent and balanced.
The commission was formed months ago to analyse the causes of growing insecurity following the collapse of the 1996-2001 Taliban government, which is now leading an insurgency. - AFP |
