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Politicians gear up to start Istanbul Summit on April 16
Sources have told Ariana News that the Istanbul summit on the Afghan peace process will run for 10 days from April 16.
US President Joe Biden put forward a new peace plan in early March which laid out a number of suggestions including the convening of a multi-partner conference on accelerating the peace process.
The US proposed the conference to bring together Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India, and the US to discuss a unified approach to support peace in Afghanistan.
US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad and representatives from the UN, Turkey, and Qatar are meanwhile expected to visit Kabul Saturday evening for final consultations with the Afghan leaders over the Istanbul conference.
Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib stated: “We are in contact with the Turkish side. They want to hold a successful summit.”
Sources said the State Ministry for Peace Affairs is expected to hand over the Afghan politicians’ stance on Biden’s proposed peace plan for setting up an interim government in Afghanistan to the High Council for the National Reconciliation.
Mohib emphasized the need for a democratic way to transfer power.
He stated that the government is ready for holding early presidential elections and that “President Ghani will not run in the elections.”
“This government is elected by the people, the people have voted and if another government is formed via people’s vote then it is okay but the government has no right to give people’s decision to 40 people that they make a decision over the future of Afghanistan,” Mohib said.
“Today anyone wants to take part in the future government they have to prepare to run for elections,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a number of Afghan politicians said that government wants to mobilize all its support for the Istanbul summit.
Abdul Sattar Murad, a member of the Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan Party, said: “The Afghan government has made a unified plan for both the US and the Istanbul summit during the last one week.”
Ten people were killed by unknown individuals in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province on Thursday night, police said on Friday.
The incident happened as the victims were doing Zikr at a mosque in Shahr-e-Kuhna of Nahrin district, police said in a statement.
The statement said that they used to regularly go to mosques and monasteries at night after returning from work.
Abdul Ghayoor Khadim, a provincial police official, said that several people were arrested in connection with the incident, adding that an investigation was launched.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Serdar Muhammetdurdiyev on Thursday met with Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan announced.
During the meeting, the sides discussed priority vectors of strategic interstate cooperation built on a long-term, mutually beneficial basis, as well as exchanged views on the implementation of previously reached agreements.
It was noted that personal contacts between the leaders of the two countries play a key role in intensifying the interstate dialogue, which give a strong impulse to further development and expansion of Turkmen-Chinese ties.
It was emphasized that Turkmenistan considers multilateral international platforms for maintaining stability in Afghanistan as an important factor in promoting sustainable improvement of socio-economic state of the neighboring country. The sides exchanged views on the preparations to the 5th meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring States to be held in Turkmenistan.
The interlocutors reaffirmed that Turkmenistan and China will continue to provide all-round support for the economic restoration of Afghanistan.
The U.S. House Of Representatives has passed a legislation on evacuation of Afghans who assisted Americans during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The passage of the CARE Authorization Act of 2024 further underscores the commitment made by the U.S. government to safeguard those who served shoulder-to-shoulder with our personnel during the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan,” Congresswoman Dina Titus said in a statement.
“The State Department has made it clear: There is no deadline for the crucial job of protecting Afghan allies. By authorizing the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts at the State Department, we can more effectively relocate and resettle those who have qualified to immigrate to the U.S. as a result of their service to this country.”
In 2022 the State Department established a specialized office called the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) to streamline and coordinate the ongoing relocation and resettlement process for eligible Afghans from Afghanistan and Pakistan to the United States.
The CARE Authorization Act of 2024 will formally authorize the CARE office at the State Department for three years and grant important authorities to advance its mission. These include an extension of authorities to enter into personal services contracts as well as measures to streamline the transfer of funds to and from other agencies involved in the Afghan relocation mission.
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