International
Efforts to revive Afghan peace talks continue in Pakistan
Efforts to revive Afghan peace talks continue in Pakistan
The talks are part of the latest effort to find a negotiatedend to nearly 15 years of war in Afghanistan, a conflict that haskilled thousands of civilians and crippled the nation's economy.
The Pakistani prime minister's foreign affairs adviserSartaj Aziz said in opening remarks in the Pakistani capital that he hoped thegroup would finalise a roadmap on Saturday to outline a way forward for directdialogue between the Afghan government and Taliban groups.
‘We are confident that the process would lead to asignificant reduction in violence (in Afghanistan),’ Aziz said.
‘We have to exert all our efforts and energies for keepingthe process on track.’
Peace efforts broke down last year after it became known theTaliban movement's founder and leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, who sanctioned thetalks, had been dead for two years, exposing deep fissures within theinsurgency.
In January, the group made a raft of demands to be met as apre-condition to joining talks, including the removal of the group from a UNblacklist, formal recognition of a political office for the group and therelease of political prisoners.
Some observers were sceptical those demands would be met andthere have also been doubts about whether competing factions of the Talibanthat have been fighting for control of the movement will be willing to join.
Nevertheless, the Afghan government has said it expects atleast parts of the Taliban to agree to peace talks within six months, ChiefExecutive Abdullah Abdullah told Reuters in New Delhi last week.
‘There might be groups among the Taliban who might bewilling to talk and give up violence,’ Abdullah said, declining to give furtherdetails.
He said the countries involved in the four-way talks werediscussing where to hold Afghan-led peace talks once some Taliban groups decideto come to the table, and how to address the problem of the groups who donot.