Daily Times

Afghan Taliban have not ruled out a meeting between their political representatives with American Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Qatar, sources said on Saturday.

The State Department says Khalilzad is leading an interagency delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from October 4-14.

Sources told Daily Times that the US special envoy could visit Islamabad on Monday or Tuesday. It would be his second visit to Pakistan in five weeks. He had earlier accompanied US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his September 5 visit to Islamabad.

“Special Representative Khalilzad’s mission is to coordinate and lead US efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table. He will do so in close coordination with the Afghan government and other stakeholders, exploring how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict,” a State Department statement said.

The trip is his first visit following his appointment as special representative and reflects the Administration’s intent to support, facilitate and participate in a peace process in Afghanistan.

Although there is no official word if the US envoy will meet the Taliban political representatives in Qatar, the Taliban sources say a meeting can be held.

“I do not want to offer any comment at this state,” a Taliban source said when asked if Khalilzad would meet the Taliban political envoys in Doha.

Earlier, a Taliban political source had told Daily Times that they were ready for the second round of talks with the US.

The first meeting between the two sides in July this year was seen as a major shift in the US policy to sit face-to-face with the Taliban to explore ways for political solution to the Afghan conflict.

“The second meeting was expected in September but could not take place as Americans were waiting for Khalilzad to get in place in Afghanistan before the next round of talks,” Taliban sources said.

The appointment of Khalilzad as special envoy for Afghan reconciliation is seen a major step by the US to press negotiations with the Taliban.

In Islamabad, the focus would be the US new approach to push for political process and to seek Pakistan’s cooperation. Pakistan and other regional stakeholders had been insisting on political option as the military option over the past 17 years had further complicated the problem.

Kahlilzad’s visit misses some key regional stakeholders, including Russia, China and even Iran, which have contacts with the Taliban political office. Cooperation of these countries cannot be ignored as they are key partners in the Kabul process and other peace initiatives.

The US opposition to the Moscow Format is also a naïve approach, which is not helpful for efforts to press for political solution. Russia had to postpone an international peace conference on Afghanistan that was scheduled to take place in Moscow on September 4 after Washington turned down the invitation. Kabul followed the US to stay away from the conference after the Taliban political announced that they would take part in the moot.

Afghan leaders missed an opportunity to have an informal interaction with the Taliban representatives that is seen important in view of the Taliban’s refusal to talk to the Kabul administration.

Published in Daily Times, September 7^th 2018.