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Afghan delegations express optimism after first official talks with Taliban
Afghan Peace delegations in their first official face to face discussion with Taliban have agreed on four issues.
Delegations from Afghanistan government in their first official meeting expressed optimism; adding this round of negotiations had major differences and was promising.
As the Afghan delegation returned to Kabul, they announced in a press conference that in a 4 hours talk they have reached the following agreements:
1: Preparing a list of both sides demands in the next meeting
2: Honesty in negotiations
3: Highlighting the challenges and lasting peace in Afghanistan
4: Agreement on holding the second round of meeting after Eid
The talks in an unannounced location in in Murree, a hill station north of Islamabad come after repeated informal meetings between Taliban and government representatives, most recently hosted by Qatar and Norway.
The nascent talks have brought no let up in the Taliban’s summer offensive, as the militants launched two suicide attacks in Kabul just hours before Tuesday’s meeting in Islamabad.
The Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) delegation was led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai — the first time such a senior government figure has publicly met the militants.
It has been said that as Taliban representatives, Abdul Latif Mansoor and Mullah Abas Akhond and from Haqqani network Hajji Ibrahim brother of Jalaluddin Haqqani attended to the meeting who are the key Taliban officials, according to Afghan delegations.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Representative in Afghanistan Nicholas Haysom have welcomed direct talks held between Afghan Government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan – urging both parties to move towards reconciliation and peace.
In a statement issued today by his spokesperson in New York, Mr. Ban welcomed the direct talks between Afghan Government and Taliban representatives, which were held yesterday in Pakistan.
“[The Secretary-General] reiterates his support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. He expresses his appreciation for the commitment of the parties and the constructive role of the host, Pakistan,” said the statement.
In a separate news release, Mr. Haysom, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also welcomed direct talks and urged both parties to move towards reconciliation and peace.
The delegation, however, appeared to lack any female representation, despite Mr. Ghani’s repeated promises that women would be included in talks with the Taliban.
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, met with the Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi and discussed issues related to Afghanistan, it was announced on Thursday.
During the meeting, Otunbayeva thanked India for “its critical humanitarian support and longstanding friendship for the Afghan people” and discussed the importance of regional and international cooperation to address prevailing challenges in Afghanistan, UNAMA said on X.
Jaishankar also said on X that the sides exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan.
“Underlined that India has provided wheat, medicines, pesticides and school supplies. Appreciate the role of UN agencies as partners in these endeavors,” he said.
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