KABUL/ WASHINGTON (SW) – Analysts believe the forthcoming trip to the US by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and peace council chairman Abdullah Abdullah remained merely a ‘symbolic’ move.
President Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25, 2021, said an official statement on Monday.
It added the visit President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues. “The United States is committed to supporting the Afghan people by providing diplomatic, economic, and humanitarian assistance to support the Afghan people, including Afghan women, girls and minorities. The United States will remain deeply engaged with the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the U.S. homeland”, it said.
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The statement added, the United States continues to fully support the ongoing peace process and encourages all Afghan parties to participate meaningfully in negotiations to bring an end to the conflict.
Meanwhile, Jafar Mahdavi, a political analyst, told Salam Watandar the reason for the trip could only be President Ghani’s repeated insistence.
“I think that unless a grand administration is formed based on existing realities and indigenous capabilities, Mr. Abdullah and Ghani will not be able to run the country or use Afghanistan’s diplomatic position or international support,” said Baqer Mohseni, another political commentator.
These analysts said the US policy toward Afghanistan has changed and the Taliban have been given the importance of a quasi-government; hence, such trips will be nothing more than a show of apparent support and encouragement.
Confirming the visit later this week, the High Council for National Reconciliation said that continued US cooperation and assistance to Afghanistan would be at the heart of talks between government leaders and the US president.
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“The chairman of the High Council of National Reconciliation has been invited by the President of the United States to pay an official visit to Washington,” said Fereydoun Khozoon, the council spokesman. “The invitation has been accepted and the chairman of the High Council of National Reconciliation who is scheduled to meet with US officials and the President of Afghanistan on the 25th of June to discuss bilateral cooperation, the continuation of US assistance to Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process.”
The visit comes as the conflict in the country has escalated sharply since the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, and a number of districts in different provinces are falling into the hands of the Taliban.
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