Sept 28 , 2015
News
Pakistan ready to facilitate Afghan-Taliban peace talks: Sartaj
NEW YORK: Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said the peace and prosperity of Afghanistan is essential for Pakistan’s own security.
He said Pakistan was ready to facilitate peace talks, if the Afghan government so desired. While attending a high level event on the sidelines of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, Sartaj reiterated Pakistan’s solidarity with Afghan people and expressed hope that the Afghan peace process would be resumed soon, as this was an important pre-requisite for peace and stability in the country. Sartaj stressed that Pakistan’s efforts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to participate in peace talks should not, however, be interpreted as indirect endorsement of the current surge of violence in Afghanistan.
The high-level event “Afghanistan’s Peaceful Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation” co-hosted by Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and United States Secretary of State John Kerry was held on Saturday. Participants of the event included, among others, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cevdet Yilmaz and the foreign ministers of Australia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Norway, and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
A number of delegations reiterated their pledge for long-term support for Afghanistan. They emphasised that “great games” of the past should be converted into the “great gains” for the future of Afghanistan. It was underscored that the interest of Afghan people, who had suffered enormously in the past, should be held above everything. In this regard, the Afghan government and the Taliban were encouraged to compromise and meet at “half way” for their country’s peace and stability. A co-chair’s statement issued after the event expressed long-term support for political process, economic reconstruction, security and stability, regional cooperation as well as peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.
Separately, United States, China and Afghanistan convened a high-level meeting on Afghanistan’s peaceful development and regional cooperation on the margins of the 70th UN General Assembly. Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, US Secretary of State John Kerry, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani were joined by representatives of Afghanistan’s regional and international friends and partners.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk