KABUL (SW) – First vice president Amrullah Saleh said on Tuesday peace with the Taliban does not mean surrendering to this group.
He was speaking at the ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of the assassination of National Hero Ahmad Shah Massoud. The first vice president said that the Taliban should understand that negotiations with them does not mean surrendering the gains and compromise on values. He added that the Afghan government, with all of its "toughness, courage and eloquence" in negotiating with the Taliban, will explain the demands and values of the people to the group in the two national languages.
"We are informing the Taliban that the republic is not a few people, but that people from 34 provinces have sacrificed to establish it," the first vice president said.
He stressed that neither the government nor the Taliban would surrender to each other. He added that the only way is to reach out to the people. The vice president said that the Taliban should prove their popularity among masses through votes.
A number of other politicians also attended the event.
Mohammad Karim Khalili, former chairman of the High Peace Council, said that negotiating with the Taliban did not mean going back to the past and that the new generation of Afghans would not go back to the past.
The politicians made these remarks as intra-Afghan talks are set to begin in a few days. The Taliban have said talks will begin once the release process of prisoners is completed. It is not yet clear when and where the talks will take place.
ENDS
