Kubis wants Taliban to join peace process

KABUL to shun violence and join the peace process.

Secretary General Special Representative Jan Kubis said the UN was ready to facilitate negotiations between the Afghan government and its armed opponents.

The envoy supported the opening of a Taliban bureau in Qatar for direct dialogue between Taliban representatives and the government of Afghanistan.

Kubis told reporters in Kabul: "My message to the insurgency is basically a sort of long-term message: you are Afghans, you care, I assume, about your country, you care about a peaceful future of the country."

He asked the insurgents to bear in their mind that there would be no international combat troops in Afghanistan at the end of next year. He told the fighters to take steps to contribute to long-term peace in the country.

Fighting against a foreign military presence was a strong motivation for the Taliban, Kubis said, explaining: "There will be no international fighting force at the end of 2014. Take this into account. Take measures to contribute to the surge of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan after 2014."

On UN role in peace and reconciliation efforts, he noted Karzai’s plan to visit Doha in connection with talks between the High Peace Council and authorised representatives of the Taliban.

“We are hopeful that this effort brings certain results. We took good note of the president’s plan to visit Qatar these days and again we hope there will be some messages coming after this visit.”

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