Negotiate truce, NATO asks Afghan parties

KABUL (Pajhwok): With peace negotiations set to begin on Friday (tomorrow), NATO has called for an immediate end to violence and negotiating a ceasefire in Afghanistan.

In a statement, the alliance urged the parties to build on this momentum by agreeing to immediately end violence and negotiating a permanent ceasefire.

It also called for the preparation of a political roadmap for a prosperous Afghanistan, at peace with itself and its neighbours.

The online statement said: “After four decades of conflict and suffering, a negotiated political settlement offers the only hope for a lasting peace.

“Violence, especially driven by Taliban attacks, continues to undermine the peace process and must end,” stressed the statement.

The alliance hailed the recent agreement between the negotiating teams on the rules and procedures for the peace talks in Qatar.

It went on to welcome the first meeting of the Leadership Committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation as an important step toward comprehensive peace in Afghanistan.

“We expect negotiations to lead to an enduring and comprehensive Afghan peace agreement that puts an end to violence, builds on the progress of the last 19 years, safeguards the human rights of all Afghans, particularly women, children, and minorities, upholds the rule of law, and ensures that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists.”

NATO and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to Afghanistan, the Afghan people and security forces. They called on Kabul and the Taliban to fulfill their commitments to the peace process initiated by the US-Taliban agreement and the US-Afghanistan Joint Declaration.

“We will continue to consult on our military presence and, if conditions allow, to adjust it to support the Afghan-led peace process.

“We went into Afghanistan together, we are adjusting together, and only when the conditions are right, we will leave together,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Taliban told the NATO chief it was clearly stated in the Doha agreement that all foreign forces shall leave Afghanistan and no-one will be permitted to use Afghan soil against America and its allies.

Reaffirming their commitment to the Doha agreement, the rebel movement insisted the deal benefitted not only the Afghans, but the Americans and their allies as well.

The Taliban said it was high time for NATO to refrain from deceiving the world. “NATO is advised not to waste this opportunity in the same way it has thoughtlessly wasted life and money for the past 20 years in Afghanistan.

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