It seems that the peace talks would be restarted again, but this time it would be the government of Afghanistan that is leading the initiative, and not the US.
It seems that the peace talks would be restarted again, but this time it would be the government of Afghanistan that is leading the initiative, and not the US.At the one-day Heart of Asia conference in Kabul on June 14 attended by diplomats and foreign ministers of 15 countries President Hamid Karzai asked Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to help push the peace process forward. He indicated that Salahuddin Rabbani, head of the High Peace Council, would soon travel to the two countries.
Mohammad Ismail Qasemyar, the advisor on international relations in the High Peace Council, said Saudi Arabia could pressure Pakistan to collaborate with Afghanistan on the peace project since it commands the respect, friendship and support of the government.
With its vast reserves of oil and the site of Islam’s most holy places, Saudi Arabia has immense influence in the Islamic world. The Afghan government has time and again sought Saudi Arabia’s assistance in talking to the various parties involved in Afghanistan.
Janan Musazai, the spokesman in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Saudi Arabia has close relations with every country involved in Afghanistan’s affairs specifically Pakistan, and can have a primary role in the Afghan peace process.”
No compulsion
However, political analyst Professor Amin has doubts. While Saudi Arabia and Pakistan “are the countries that had a role in the creation of the Taleban”, the strategy of Saudi Arabia towards Pakistan is “different” and the Taleban and Pakistan may not succumb to persuasions by Riyadh.
Waheed Muzhda, an officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the Taleban regime, was equally doubtful Pakistan would be able to bring the Taleban to the negotiating table. “Pakistan has got a lot of benefits from the international community (in the past decade). It will not be able to convince the Taleban to come to the negotiating table.”
Why then is the government talking to Saudi Arabia, which has ignored the repeated requests of help in the past?
Farooq Bashar, a political analyst, believed Saudi Arabia would urge Islamabad to help push the peace process in Afghanistan “but this will not create any compulsion”.
Peace talks have been stalled since the Taleban walked out of US-led talks in Doha three months ago.
