Kabul to have central role in any peace deal: Pompeo

KABUL (Pajhwok): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has promised a central role for the Afghan government in any peace agreement regarding the future of the war-torn country.

Testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, Pompeo was asked if he could assure the world the Afghan government would be a meaningful participant in any peace deal.

“More than that, they will be at the center. It will be Afghan-led,” the secretary replied to the question from the chairman of the committee, Lindsay Graham. 

Pompeo agreed with the suggestion that the best thing to do to defeat radical ideology was investment in the lives of people, such as a small school in a poor region of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria or Africa.

He concurred with the panel chairman’s view that such initiatives could do more damage to radicals than any bomb.  Graham said giving a woman a say about the future of her children was imperative to win the conflict. 

In response, Pompeo said the outcome was peace with dignity for women in Afghanistan. “Also making sure that America’s counterterrorism interests are protected as well.”

Answering another question, the secretary of state explained the Taliban would be reintegrated into the Afghan community on US terms and conditions, not on theirs.

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