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Afghan Taliban signal readiness for peace negotiations with Kabul
* Pak army official says Gen Raheel told Ghani during a visit this week Taliban were willing to begin negotiations as early as March Reuters
ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Senior Pakistani army, Afghan and diplomatic officials said on Thursday the Afghan Taliban had signalled they were willing to open peace talks with Kabul. The reports raised hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts following the withdrawal of most US-led troops last year, and of a boost for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The renewed push for negotiations appeared to be driven by evolving relationships between Afghanistan, Pakistan and China, which recently offered to help broker talks. On Thursday, a senior Pakistani military official said Pakistan’s army chief, General Raheel Sharif, told Ghani during a visit this week the Taliban were willing to begin negotiations as early as March. “They have expressed their willingness and there will be progress in March. But these things are not so quick and easy,” the official, who is close to the army chief, told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “But there are very clear signals ... and we have communicated it to the Afghans. Now many things are with the Afghans and they are serious.” Taliban representatives including official spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid cast doubt on the possibility of talks, saying they still opposed negotiations. The group has repeatedly said it will talk to the United States but not the Kabul government. A senior member of the Afghan Taliban said by telephone from Qatar their negotiators would hold a first round of talks with US officials in Qatar on Thursday. But US officials in Washington denied the United States was holding talks with the Taliban. A White House spokeswoman said the United States remained supportive of an Afghan-led reconciliation process in which the Taliban and the Afghan government engaged in talks. A senior aide to Ghani, who declined to be identified, said the Afghan government had asked that talks be held in Beijing, a nod to China’s recent efforts to help broker an end to the war. Ghani himself has not directly commented on the possibility of talks but promised transparency. “I will not conduct any negotiation in secret from my people,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. A later statement said Ghani met members of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council on Thursday, quoting the president as saying: “Now there is a big opportunity for peace in the country.” A senior diplomat in the region said that, as well as Beijing, the cities of Islamabad, Kabul and Dubai were being considered as talks venues.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk