Venue should not deter peace talks, says Abdullah

KABUL (Pajhwok): High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) chairman Abdullah Abdullah on Wednesday said he preferred talks inside the country, but the venue should not be a barrier to continuation of negotiations.

Earlier, National Security Advisor (NSA) Hamdullah Mohib and President Ashraf Ghani had urged moving next phases of peace talks to Afghanistan.

“I strongly support NSA’s recommendation for moving next phases of talks to Afghanistan… it is not the time to put luxurious hotels as a precondition for all. It is important all the people see how talks are going? What issues are focused on and why?” Ghani had said.

However, Dr. Mohammad Naeem, spokesman for Taliban’s political office in Qatar, on Tuesday in an interview with Tolo News said the request of shifting the location of talks was an attempt to destroy the peace process.

He said that spoilers of talks saw the ongoing process a threat to their personal interests. Negotiations between the two teams would resume on January 5 in Qatar, he added.

Intra-Afghan talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government started about three months ago in Doha, Qatar and the two sides were only able to agree on procedural rules during 80 days of discussions and they now are working on the agenda of negotiations.

Dr. Abdullah told a ceremony during which National Secretariat of Peace was launched in Kabul, said both sides —the Taliban and government teams — had agreed to resume talks after a break.

He said the location of next negotiations would be discussed but it depended on the approval of both parties.

“We prefer intra-Afghan talks inside our country, but the location should not be a barrier for negotiations,” he said.

“Our people mostly emphasis on two issues, permanent ceasefire and protection of achievements of the past two decades, another demand of our people is an inclusive peace,” he said.

Abdullah added that the government’s negotiating team arrived in Kabul from Doha on Tuesday night and he met with them today.

He said the team’s efforts should be appreciated as it proved its commitment to the Afghan people and kept its unity during talks. He supported the National Secretariat of Peace.

Murtaza Haqiqat, head of the secretariat, said that Consortium of Consultation was a group created by five non-governmental organizations in 2013 for creating a united power for peace, good governance and security.

He said a year back, the consortium’s branches were opened in all seven zones of the country and today it decided to declare it nationally as National Secretariat of Peace.

“The aim of this secretariat is to share the voices, suggestions and demands of the Afghan people with both the negotiating teams,” he added.

mds/ma