KABUL members on Sunday welcomed the start of the historic intra-Afghan talks in Qatar as an opportunity for all sides to end the ongoing conflict, but called for changes to the government’s team
The keenly-anticipated peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban began in Doha on Saturday.
Led by former spymaster MasoomStanikzai, the 21-member team of the government is in Doha for direct talks with representatives of the militant movement.
On behalf of Kabul, Supreme Council for National Reconciliation Dr. Abdullah, Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar, Minister of State for Peace Affairs Syed Sadat Mansoor Naderi and presidential representative Abdul-Salam Rahimi attended the launching ceremony.
A majority of the Meshrano Jirga or Senate members at today’s session welcomed the development, but some criticized composition of the Afghan government peace negotiation team.
Amanullah Azimi, a senator, welcomed the start of the intra-Afghan talks but urged changes in the government delegation.
“Youth who are less than 35 years old cannot find solution to the 42-years old conflict. It would be good to add some experienced figures.”
The lawmaker hinted at Batur Dostum son of Abdul Rashid Dostum, who was born in 1988 in the capital of Jawzjan province and Khalid Noor, son of Atta Mohammad Noor, was born in 1995 in Balkh province and
Batur is Uzbek and has received bachelor and master degrees in law and political science from the Ghazi University of Turkey.
He served as acting chief of the Junbish-i-Milli party. He is a member of the Wolesi Jirga activist and the director of a private TV channel. He is also part of the government negotiating team.
While Khalid is Tajik. After completing his secondary school education, Khalid moved to the United Kingdom, where he studied at the Royal Military Academy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution from the George Mason University in the US.
He has participated in informal peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan politicians in Moscow and Doha. Khalid is a member of the government’s negotiating team.
The above two were the youngest members of the Afghan peace negotiations team mandated to hold peace talks with Taliban representatives in Doha.
Mohammad Rahim Hussianyar, a lawmaker from Ghazni province, also said that some members of the government’s negotiating team should be reconsidered and a strong team should formed that could argue with the Taliban negotiating team.
He did not go into details in this regard but said: “The government peace team’s members should not express their views based on families and discriminations.”
Welcoming the start of the peace talks, Mohammad Alam Izdeyar, the first deputy speaker of the upper house, who also chaired today’s session, expressed hope that the talks would reach the desired result of ensuring peace in the country.
Emphasizing that war was not a solution, he said “no one can overwhelm the Afghan people through war. He urged the United States not to use the peace opportunity in Afghanistan as a tool for its presidential election.
pk/ma
