As talks between Taliban negotiators and senior Afghan political leaders gain momentum, the beleaguered Kabul administration is showing a lukewarm response to the upcoming meeting in Qatar.
The second intra-Afghan conference was scheduled to be held on April 14-15, but postponed as the government failed to finalize a team that was to sit face-to-face with the Taliban political envoys. The meeting is now scheduled for April 19-21.
It was expected that President Ghani’s camp will finalize delegates on April 13, but could not reach a consensus on the names and what they would discuss with the Taliban. A section of the Afghan media quoted Umer Daudzai, secretary of the government-sponsored High Peace Council, as saying that the team could not be finalized as several members of the Reconciliation Leadership Council wanted more representation in the intra-Afghan conference. He said the council also failed to decide as who should be part of the government’s team.
Hizb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who refused to attend the Reconciliation Council’s second meeting on April 10, said the government is seeking to include its ‘favorites in the Qatar delegation’, according to Tolo TV.
The intra-Afghan interaction in Qatar is important as the Taliban have softened their stance and agreed to Doha’s proposal to meet the government’s representatives. Although Taliban insist that no one will ‘partake in the conference as a representative of the Kabul administration’, participation of the government’s representatives is very important as they will sit under the same roof and will share their views.
The Afghan government has been asking for intra-Afghan dialogue but when things are moving towards that direction, the government is seemed least interested in the process. The intra-Afghan conference is going to take place in a few days, but the Ghani administration has not yet removed differences over nominees and related issues.
On their part, Taliban political envoys are ready for the intra-Afghan meeting, a Taliban official in Qatar said on Sunday.
All major stakeholders are supporting the intra-Afghan conference as this initiative provides an opportunity for the Taliban and influential Afghan leaders like Hamid Karzai, Haneef Atmar, Atta Noor, Ismail Khan, Younas Qanooni, Mohammad Mohaqiq and many others to discuss the future of Afghanistan.
In a fresh development, Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah announced on Sunday that he and his election team will not participate in the ‘Loya Jirga’ or grand assembly that has been convened to discuss peace in the war-torn country in capital Kabul on April 29. A statement from Abdullah’s office said he does not see the jirga helping a solution to the country’s problems.