News
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Obama welcomes Pak efforts for Afghan settlement
* US president says political solution to conflict necessary, elements of Taliban can be part of negotiations
* Islamabad’s efforts should be viewed with skepticism, but also with opennessTORONTO: US President Barack Obama has described as a “useful step” the move by Pakistan to promote a political settlement in war-torn Afghanistan, but appeared to suggest caution at the early stage of the evolving negotiations process.
“I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with skepticism but also with openness,” the president said, while responding to questions about the Afghan peace deal at the end of the G20 summit in Toronto, Canada.
According to the New York Times, the US president avoided any direct comment on whether the Haqqani network, the Taliban group reportedly proposed by Pakistan as part of a power-sharing deal, could become part of Afghanistan’s future leadership.
But, he said “conversations between the Afghan government and the Pakistani government, building trust between those two governments, are a useful step”. Obama also said a political solution to the conflict was necessary and suggested that elements of the Taliban insurgency could be part of negotiations.
He noted that as the Afghanistan war approached its 10th anniversary, it was the longest foreign war in American history, and that “ultimately, as was true in Iraq, so will be true in Afghanistan, we will have to have a political solution”.
Obama further stated that there was “a lot of obsession” about the withdrawal date for US troops from Afghanistan, adding that his focus was on making sure the mission there was successful.
Obama also defended his war strategy and said the US would assist the Afghans “for a long time to come”.
“I think that right now the debate surrounding Afghanistan is presented as either we get up and leave immediately because there’s no chance at a positive outcome, or we stay basically indefinitely and do quote unquote whatever it takes for as long as it takes,” he said.
He reiterated that a July 2011 date to begin withdrawing troops did not mean the US would “suddenly turn off the lights and let the door close behind us”. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk