KABUL (SW) – Amid stalled intra-Afghan peace talks, analysts believe there is need for flexibility on both sides to reach a negotiated settlement.
This comes amid raging violence across the country.
Earlier this week, the Taliban asserted they do not want to monopolize power but insist that there will not be peace in Afghanistan until there is a new negotiated government in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed.
In an interview with The Associated Press (AP), Taliban spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, who is also a member of the group’s negotiating team, laid out the insurgents’ stance on what should come next in a country on the precipice.
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Political analyst Rahmatullah Bezhanpoor told Salam Watandar the ongoing peace talks have been ineffective and have been fruitless due to irresponsibility and lack of a clear agenda. He stressed that an alternate way should be found to solve the ongoing crisis in the country.
“There has to be a third way, a third way to give a new perspective on both war and peace,” he said. “Stop the war and establish national, regional and international oversight.”
Meanwhile, another political analyst, Asif Ashna, said that the Taliban’s demand for power and the government’s poor stance on war and peace have led to the failure of peace talks.
Last weekend, a high-level government delegation visited Qatari capital Doha for talks with Taliban leaders. It ended with promises of more talks, as well as greater attention to the protection of civilians and infrastructure, but failed to deliver a ceasefire.
ENDS
