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Ghani adviser claims Taliban are not invested in peace
Waheed Omer, President Ashraf Ghani's advisor and director general of the Office of Public and Strategic Affairs said on Saturday the Taliban must first fulfil its obligations made in the past before laying down new demands.
Speaking at a press conference Omer said that in the past two years the Afghan government has taken six major steps towards peace, but this has not been reciprocated by the Taliban.
“The Taliban has not taken even a small step towards peace over the last two years,” Omer said.
"Instead of imposing new conditions, they [Taliban] must fulfill their past commitments," Omer added.
Omer also emphasized that peace based on a deal between several politicians or “elite peace” will not be sustainable.
Taliban members have said they are willing to enter into talks with a new administration if Ghani steps down, but the president has rejected the idea of an interim government, which he said Friday just leads to bloodshed - as experienced in the past.
“We have to agree on the election date that there is a legitimate way to transfer power, we had transitional governments, which led to bloodshed,” Ghani said.
However, experts say that any pursuit of supremacy by the Taliban and the government will completely thwart the peace efforts.
“The Presidential Palace must be convinced that fortunately or unfortunately an interim government is coming. In my view, an interim government has many advantages over a merged government which includes the Taliban," said former water and energy minister Ali Ahmad Osmani.
“In Afghanistan, there is a need for a national reconciliation between the two sides of the war, until the two sides stop fighting and seeking supremacy, there will be no peace in Afghanistan,” said Tariq Farhad, a former presidential adviser.
Meanwhile, State Ministry of Peace Affairs says the Taliban is not willing to sit down at the negotiating table.
“The other side is not yet ready to sit at the negotiating table, so the consequences of civilian casualties as a result of the ongoing war and violence are on those who are delaying the peace process,” said Najia Anwari, the ministry’s spokeswoman.
Meanwhile the president’s adviser Omer also said that the Taliban negotiators are not showing any interest in holding meetings with the Afghan Republic’s peace talks team in Doha after negotiations resumed early this month following a three week break.
“Our war with the Taliban is over values. We are ready to be convinced or to convince them. Our hope is that the Taliban will participate in Doha and focus more on talks,” Omer said.
However, the peace talks in Doha have stalled and face an uncertain fate. Each side accuses the other of obstructing the process and making excuses.
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Two Afghan diplomats posted to Germany under former government resign
Afghanistan's ambassador to Berlin, Yama Yari, who was appointed by the former government, has resigned from his post, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported on Monday.
Afghanistan's Consul-General in Bonn, Sayed Lutfullah Sadat, who was also appointed before the Islamic Emirate regained power, has also stepped down, the outlet said.
Sadat said in a statement that the reason for the decision was "political considerations and restrictions by the host country.”
In July, the Islamic Emirate announced that they no longer recognize Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions set up by the former Western-backed government and that they will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with the previous administration.
In a statement posted on X at the time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer accepted and the ministry “bears no responsibility” for those documents.
The documents included passports, visa stickers, deeds and endorsements.
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China’s envoy says Beijing never interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs
Yue also announced that he is negotiating with the Islamic Emirate to provide humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan ($138 million) from China.
China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Affairs Yue Xiaoyong has said his country not only refrains from interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs but also respects the country’s independence and territorial integrity.
In an interview with Beijing International Dialogue Center on Sunday, Yue said China is not seeking to establish a sphere of influence in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan should become a platform for cooperation among all parties instead of turning into a field for geopolitical competition,” he said.
Expressing concern over the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan and the need for an inclusive government, Yue said: “Before the U.S. presence, one or two terrorist groups were active in Afghanistan, but now there are more than 20 terrorist groups operating in the country.”
The Chinese envoy also addressed the situation of women and human rights, stating: “The issue of women is only a small part of Afghanistan’s problems and is not the root cause of its challenges. Furthermore, addressing poverty, hunger, and famine is essential to ensuring human rights.”
In the past three years, U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about China’s influence in Afghanistan. Similarly, Donald Trump, during his election campaigns, repeatedly claimed that the Bagram airbase had fallen into China’s hands.
Yue meanwhile also criticized Western countries for what he called "double standards" and said: "In order to ensure human rights, the issue of poverty, hunger and famine in Afghanistan must be addressed."
Yue also announced that he is negotiating with the Islamic Emirate to provide humanitarian aid of 1 billion yuan ($138 million) from China.
He said that part of this aid will go to Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan and Iran, so that an arrangement can be made for the return of migrants to their country.
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Saudi Arabia executed 101 people, including three Afghans this year
The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year
Saudi Arabia has executed 101 foreign nationals this year, including three Afghan citizens.
AFP reported that 21 Pakistanis, 20 Yemenis, 14 Syrians, 10 Nigerians, nine Egyptians, eight Jordanians, seven Ethiopians, three Sudanese, three Indians, three Afghans and one Sri Lankan, one Eritrean and one Filipino.
The European-Saudi Human Rights Organization in Berlin condemned the executions and said this was three times higher then last year.
The organization’s legal director stated: “This is the largest number of foreign nationals executed in a single year. Saudi Arabia has never executed 100 foreign nationals in one year before.”
Amnesty International meanwhile stated that Saudi Arabia was the third highest country for the number of executions in 2023, after China and Iran.
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