Doha and a number of regional and international capitals are witnessing intensive moves to advance the peace process in Afghanistan. Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Taliban and the United States are discussing in Doha the agenda of the Turkish summit on Afghan peace. “Let’s get closer to the Turkish summit,” said Ghulam Farooq, a member of the negotiation team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
“Talks are going on between representatives from the United States, Turkey and Qatar, including the United Nations and those countries that support the Afghan peace process, with the peace negotiation teams,” Ghulam Faruq said. The discussions aim to bridge the gaps and bring ideas together before the Turkey conference.
And from Kabul, Tolo News reported yesterday that two members of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation in Afghanistan said that the State Department is scheduled to present its views on the draft US peace plan to a 15-member committee of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation.
Obaidullah Salem, a member of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, confirmed that the committee to review the draft of the US peace plan, consisting of 15 members, is chaired by Muhammad Yunus Qanuni, former vice president. He said that the government will present the plan during the Turkish summit, after it is agreed upon by the members of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation.
The Turkish summit is scheduled to be held in a few weeks, and as is also expected, the Taliban movement, the Afghan government and representatives of many countries, including the United States, will attend the Afghan peace conference. Muhammad Ismail Khan said, “With the consent of all parties to the Afghan people and the Afghan government, all politicians should participate in a common consensus in this meeting.”
For its part, the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation said that the committee reviewing the draft of the US peace plan also includes former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Hamdallah Moheb, President Ghani’s national security advisor, Foreign Minister Muhammad Hanif and Atta Muhammad Nur. “All parties are expected to attend tomorrow’s meeting,” said Prince Masoud, a former advisor to the president. And he continued, “The former president participated in every effort for peace and will participate in this council meeting.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and his special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, will travel to Islamabad next week to discuss regional issues and peace in Afghanistan. In a related context, the Speaker of the Pakistani House of Representatives confirmed in a meeting with the Ambassador of Afghanistan to Pakistan that stability in Afghanistan will work to stabilize the region and that Pakistan supports the peace process.
Regional and international moves to advance the Afghan peace negotiations
