President Ghani unveils peace strategy

 

KABUL (SW) – President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday shared details of the proposed peace plan with senior officials at the presidency.

The presidency said the details of this strategy would be aired by the state broadcaster RTA on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported President Ghani’s plan will be presented as a counter to proposals put forward by Washington, rejected by the Afghan government, that envisage immediately drawing up a new legal system for an interim administration to include Taliban representatives.

The document shows Ghani’s “Reaching an Endstate” proposal will include, in the first phase, a consensus on a political settlement and an internationally monitored ceasefire.

The second phase will be holding a presidential election and the establishment of a “government of peace” and implementation arrangements for moving towards the new political system.

The third phase will involve building a “constitutional framework, reintegration of refugees and development” for Afghanistan moving forward.

A senior government official told Reuters Ghani has already shared his road map with foreign capitals. A date for the Turkey meeting is yet to be decided, but multiple sources told Reuters it could take place in two weeks’ time.

The Afghan government and a number of politicians said they would have to agree on an agenda with the Taliban before the meeting.

Meanwhile, the High Council for National Reconciliation has said it has received 30 peace proposals from 25 political parties so far.

In a statement last month, the Taliban threatened to resume hostilities against foreign troops in Afghanistan if they did not meet the May 1 deadline envisaged in an agreement between the insurgents and the Trump administration last year.

U.S. President Joe Biden said this month it would be “hard” to withdraw the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1 “just in terms of tactical reasons”, but he said he did not think they still would be there next year.

A senior government official said the Taliban was willing to extend the May 1 dateline and would not resume attacks against foreign forces in exchange for the release of thousands of their prisoners held by the Kabul authorities.

Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman in Qatar, said no such offer had been made

ENDS

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