Peace Talks With Taliban?

[Mehtab Singh]

I am all for world peace and calling truce with foes, but when it comes to such monsters who are barbaric towards anyone who doesn't follow their way of life, then I am not sure how long such a peace would last? And all this after 12 years of bloodshed and millions of innocent lives lost!

Chalo, whatever happens, Guru Sahib sarbat da bhala karan /\

US to join direct peace talks with Taliban over Afghanistan

'Peace and reconciliation' milestone comes after US drops request for formal rejection of al-Qaida as precondition to talks

The US is to open direct talks with Taliban leaders within days, it was revealed on Tuesday, after Washington agreed to drop a series of preconditions that have previously held back negotiations over the future of Afghanistan.

In a major milestone in the 12-year-old war, political representatives of the Taliban will shortly meet Afghan and US officials in Doha, Qatar, to discuss an agenda for what US officials called "peace and reconciliation" before further talks take place with Afghan government representatives soon after.

Senior US administration officials speaking on background said they believed the Taliban had agreed to issue a statement committing itself to "oppose the use of Afghan soil to threaten other countries" – an important first step to severing ties with al-Qaida, according to Washington. A Taliban statement confirmed that it was opening an office in Doha, and wanted "good relations" with other countries.

The US has agreed that a formal rejection of al-Qaida by the Taliban leadership would now be a "negotiating aim" rather than a precondition for talks. It will also seek a commitment from the Taliban to end its insurgency in Afghanistan and recognise women's rights in the country.

"This is an important first step but it will be a long road," said one senior US official. "We have long said this conflict won't be won on the battlefield which is why we support the opening of this [Doha] office."

White House officials say they believe the Taliban delegation at the talks represents the movement's leadership, and includes more radical groups such as the Haqqani network. Officials said the US would have a direct role in the talks starting starting this week in Doha, but the substantive negotiations over the future of Afghanistan would then be led by the Afghan government.

"The core of this process is not going to be US/Taliban talks – we can help the process – but the core is going to be among Afghans," added the US official. "The level of trust is extremely low so this is not going to be easy."

A Taliban spokesman said that it was opening the Doha office to "reach understanding and initiate talks with countries of the world for the purpose of improving relations with them" and to support a peaceful, political solution to end the "occupation of Afghanistan".

The proposal for a Doha office has been on the table since 2011, and several senior Taliban figures have been living in Qatar for many months now, but the group had not publicly embraced plans for peace talks.

In Kabul, Afghan president Hamid Karzai said a delegation from the High Peace Council would travel to Qatar to discuss peace talks with the Taliban. "We hope that our brothers the Taliban also understand that the process will move to our country soon," he added, although US officials stressed that moving talks to Afghanistan would take time.

Karzai also announced that Afghan forces would begin taking the lead from the Americans on domestic security on Tuesday, with a complete security transition by the end of next year when US forces are due to pull out.

Barack Obama is understood to have informed G8 leaders of the breakthrough at a dinner at the Northern Ireland summit on Monday night.

The deal on talks with the Taliban was partly brokered by Pakistan and the emir of Qatar after "months of diplomatic spadework" also involving Germany, Norway and the UK. In 2011, Hillary Clinton suggested that Taliban leaders would have to renounce violence for a peace process to work.

"Over the past two years, we have laid out our unambiguous red lines for reconciliation with the insurgents: They must renounce violence; they must abandon their alliance with al-Qaida; and they must abide by the constitution of Afghanistan," she said. "Those are necessary outcomes of any negotiation. This is the price for reaching a political resolution and bringing an end to the military actions that are targeting their leadership and decimating their ranks."

But on Tuesday, that position appeared to have soften somewhat. "We don't expect them to break ties with al-Qaida [immediately]," said one of the US officials speaking on an off-the-record conference call. "That is an outcome of the process." He said the expected Taliban statement opposing the use of Afghan soil for foreign attacks was "a first step in distancing them from international terrorism".

The news comes on the day Nato handed formal responsibility for Afghan security to the country's own troops and police, although foreign soldiers are still fighting in many areas. The Taliban have long demanded that foreign troops leave as a precondition to talks.

Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who has always said he would prefer talks to take place in Afghanistan, was initially lukewarm about the Qatar plans, but has visited the state twice this year, apparently paving the way for today's breakthrough.





Nato soldiers stand with US flag after a security handover ceremony at a military academy outside Kabul on Tuesday.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/us-peace-talks-taliban-afghanistan

[VanHelsingh]

An admission of defeat if ever there was one.

[Jonny101]

True, this peace talks is an admission of defeat. The Taliban will eventually come to power with or without these peace talks. But the US is probably thinking now that since the Taliban will eventually come to power, why not at least be on talking terms with them instead of isolating them and again making Afghanistan into a safe haven for arab terrorists.

[esingh]

Did anyone actually think anything but talking to the Taliban was going to work? There should have be no doubt about the outcome. But to be honest I don't see the Taliban returning to their ways with the vigour they did previously. They will only hold power in a coalition and the people are sick and tired of the violence.

I just hope there is peace.

[PakistaniPunjabi01]

Just yesterday, Taliban bombed American Bagram Airbase and killed 4 U.S soldiers...while Americans are begging for negotiations with Taliban now.

After 10 years of war, hundreds of billions of U.S dollar spent, deaths of millions of innocent lives....Americans come back to square one!

Its a good step never than less...America is defeated in Afghanistan...Any negotiated settlement is good before Afghanistan goes into the civil war!


Talibans aren't one single group though...lets see what happens...

[Jonny101]

Just yesterday, Taliban bombed American Bagram Airbase and killed 4 U.S soldiers...while Americans are begging for negotiations with Taliban now.

After 10 years of war, hundreds of billions of U.S dollar spent, deaths of millions of innocent lives....Americans come back to square one!

Its a good step never than less...America is defeated in Afghanistan...Any negotiated settlement is good before Afghanistan goes into the civil war!

Talibans aren't one single group though...lets see what happens...

The Taliban will come to power with or without these talks. The ANA cannot resist the Taliban just as the Soviet created army lost against the Afghan warlords in the 90s. But unlike the Russians, the Americans know the outcome and that is why they are now holding talks with the Taliban with the hope that the future Taliban controlled Afghanistan will not house terrorists hostile to America.

[PakistaniPunjabi01]

The Taliban will come to power with or without these talks. The ANA cannot resist the Taliban just as the Soviet created army lost against the Afghan warlords in the 90s. But unlike the Russians, the Americans know the outcome and that is why they are not holding talks with the Taliban with the hope that the future Taliban controlled Afghanistan will not house terrorists hostile to America.

Agree.

But a negotiated settlement will save Afghanistan from another civil war.

Afghan Talibans are a very mature entity. They have experience of ruling Afghanistan before...I hope some sort of settlement is reached where Talibans rule Afghanistan and have peace with Northern Alliance..at the same time..allow education for girls and protect basic human rights etc...

Lets see what happens...

One thing is sure : Afghan Talibans aren't corrupt as ANA/North Alliance/Hamid Karzai's government...

[proactive]

Afghan Talibans are a very mature entity. They have experience of ruling Afghanistan before...I hope some sort of settlement is reached where Talibans rule Afghanistan and have peace with Northern Alliance..at the same time..allow education for girls and protect basic human rights etc...

What world are you living in?

It looks like the future for the Middle East is a civil war between the Sunnis and Shias. I doubt the Taliban will stay out of it, So the future will not be as rosy as you think it will be.

[Jonny101]

Agree.

But a negotiated settlement will save Afghanistan from another civil war.

Afghan Talibans are a very mature entity. They have experience of ruling Afghanistan before...I hope some sort of settlement is reached where Talibans rule Afghanistan and have peace with Northern Alliance..at the same time..allow education for girls and protect basic human rights etc...

Lets see what happens...

One thing is sure : Afghan Talibans aren't corrupt as ANA/North Alliance/Hamid Karzai's government...

Although the Taliban are less corrupt and follow some rules and regulations, but they also have their drawback. Under their rule, the Shia were persecuted, women were not allowed to work and girls schools were all shut. Personally I feel sorry for the people of Afghanistan. On the one hand they are stuck with a corrupt western backed government, but their only alternative is the Taliban who are religious extremists. Not a good situation for a country to be in.

[Mehtab Singh]

Keep in mind the political demographics at this point of time. Iran has a new president who somehow seems to be mellow (so far) in terms of anti US rhetoric. Pakistan has a new government, the same Nawaz Sharif who the US is so used to. India will have a new government next year which will again be a sidekick sort of buddy for the US. Anyone in the US position would think "mai hunn ithe reh ke kehre amb laine? chalo chaliye!" If they move their troops out of Afghanistan silently, that will seem as Taliban's victory, so I'd say all this peace talk drama is only to save the face and have the world think that the US didn't lose. Sorry, but going against their long held notion "The US never negotiates with terrorists" is in itself defeat. You guys are right, sooner or later Taliban was going to come to power anyways because they weren't going to stop due to the monsters that they are. Afghanistan could very well return to its 1996 (or should I say 1496) atmosphere when these demons rose to power. The US now sees its interests comparatively safe in the Middle East. Iraq is "Saddam-less", Libya is "Gaddafi-less", Syria is "peace-less", Iran, Pakistan and India have/will have new governments who WILL have to have a softer stance towards the US because Al Qaeda is also "Osama-less". So what is the best thing to do, well, lets just go home finally! And thats what all this is.

Also, the very next day after this news was out, Karzai had an outburst against the US for a reason only he can translate. He knows very well that once the US is out of Afghanistan, the Taliban are going to come after him. It is in his best interest to NOT side with the US, atleast when dealing with Taliban. I'd say he is the one miserably stuck in all this. American masters are going home, Taliban foes are going to take over, American foes and Taliban foes will shake hands, this is Karzai's worst nightmare coming true.

The drama has only begun to unfold, so sit back and watch as the US changes the political maps of all these countries. No harm though, because if they are left alone, they're not going to leave you alone.