KABUL, Afghanistan – Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah said Thursday the talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban will be difficult, as Afghan team will face issues tough to decide upon.
But Abdullah exclaimed the rights of the Afghan people, including women’s and minorities’ rights, will be protected during the negotiations, according to sources.
“I don’t say that these talks will be very simple, these talks will be very hard. We will face issues that will need hard decisions to be made,” he said as quoted by TOLOnews. “But the delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has gone to Qatar with the support of the Afghan government and the Afghan politicians.”
“Citizens’ rights, women’s rights, human rights, victims’ and minorities’ rights, justice and freedoms that were achieved through many sacrifices, will be preserved in these talks,” Abdullah said.
While many government officials, including international allies, are considering the ongoing peace process “very promising”, some politicians believe the primary demand of a ceasefire by Afghan government and a possible proposal of interim government by Taliban could lead the talks to a deadlock.
“The Afghan government will certainly offer a ceasefire proposal, and the Taliban are likely to propose an interim government; these are the first issues that could push the talks into a deadlock,” said Mohammad Ismail, a former Mujahideen leader.
Meanwhile, Acting Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar said Kabul considers ceasefire a “fundamental step” that could potentially lead to lasting peace, which is by overserving the past achievements.
“To achieve a lasting peace, we consider the ceasefire a fundamental step, and peace can be secure when it guarantees the preservation of the country’s independence and territorial integrity,” said Atmar.
Friday draws the sixth day to an end since the Afghan and Taliban representatives came together in Doha on Saturday, September 12, to formally launch the implementation of intra-Afghan talks. But, both parties yet have to decide on talks’ mechanism and overall agenda to officially begin the first round of negotiations.
