Results Of USA Talibal Negotiation Must Be To The Satisfaction Of India
USA has been trying to somehow stich a peace deal with the Taliban so that President Donald Trump is able to fulfil his election promise of ending American involvement in Afghanistan and bringing the troops home. This is becoming a desperate move as campaign for election for his second term is looming.
Negotiations have started to speed up recently and a fresh round of negotiations between the Taliban leaders and Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, is scheduled to start this week in Doha.
Both the parties are at loggerheads with respect to the interpretations of what they have agreed so far on American withdrawal. The Taliban spokesperson said that the US had agreed to pull out its troops.
As this new round of parley is to start in Qatar, India has warned against a hasty deal with the terror group. Any withdrawal should not be dictated by any American elections instead it should be the best interests of Afghanistan.
Speaking at the Security Council India’s Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin clearly said that shutting down terrorist safe havens in Pakistan must be a precondition for a peace agreement to go forward. While welcoming the international efforts for ending the Afghanistan civil war, he said: “We see that some may be driven by a sense of an urgency with timelines which are, perhaps, not intrinsic to the needs of the Afghan people.” He also warned that terrorist organisations cannot be allowed to negotiate from a position strength that is guaranteed to them by the sanctuaries given to them by some countries.
“As the way forward is chalked out, we cannot ignore that groups enjoying support and safe havens carry out violent and terrorist activities from across borders,” he said. “They cannot be allowed to negotiate from a place of advantage.”
“The sanctuaries and safe havens provided to terror networks have to be addressed for genuine and sustainable peace. The terrorist activities of the Taliban, Haqqani Network, Islamic State (IS), as well as Al Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, need to end.”
However Khalilzad has clarified that the US sought “a comprehensive peace agreement, not a withdrawal agreement”. Troop withdrawal is only one part of a comprehensive peace agreement, which would inlcude counter-terrorism assurances, intra-Afghan negotiations that lead to a political settlement, and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire.
Khalilzad had visited India last month for consultations with Indian officials on the negotiations. It had become quite clear to him that negotiations outcome must be to the satisfaction of not only the Afghan Government but also India otherwise it will be of no use.
