KABUL (SW) – Analysts believe by skipping proposed peace meet in Turkey, the Taliban are trying to build pressure on President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to resign.
The Istanbul meeting was scheduled to be attended by representatives of a number of countries in the region and the world in connection with the peace in Afghanistan on April 24 this year, but it has been postponed.
Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations have issued a joint statement saying the Istanbul meeting has been delayed in light of the recent developments and after comprehensive consultations with the parties, until the favorable conditions for meaningful progress are met.
Tariq Farhadi, an international relations expert, told Salam Watandar the Taliban would join the talks when there are no foreign troops in Afghanistan and the Afghan government is weakened, then they would enter negotiations from a position of strength.
Baqir Mohseni, another international relations expert, said the Taliban’s secret negotiations and bargaining will continue until President Ghani is forced to resign.
On Wednesday, Mir Rahman Rahmani, speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, told a plenary session that the Afghan people had hoped for peace through the Istanbul meeting, but that the meeting had been delayed for unpredictable reasons. Addressing the Taliban, he said the Istanbul conference was an opportunity and should have not been missed.
On the other hand, the Minister of State for Peace, Seyed Saadat Mansour Naderi, has stated that the reason for the delay in the Istanbul meeting was the Taliban’s unwillingness to hold talks. The Minister of State for Peace Affairs the house that the government remained ready to negotiate and participate in the Istanbul conference at any time.
ENDS
