Afghan peace talks begin as US eyes exit from years of war

Bloomberg

Afghanistan’s government and Taliban leaders began historic peace talks on Saturday in a bid to end two decades of war, in a meeting that was fraught with tension over what the insurgent group will demand in return for laying down its arms.
Meeting in an enormous hotel conference room in Doha, Qatar, the two sides promised to negotiate in good faith even as questions remain about just how long the talks will last and whether the Taliban will halt attacks that continue to kill dozens of people every day.
“We have come to this country to achieve a dignified and lasting peace,” Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said at the opening of the conference, in the presence of US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo as more than a dozen foreign ministers attended via video link. “We have come here with good will and good intention to achieve an end to 40 years of bloodshed.”
Abdullah made the government’s priority clear from the start: He called for the talks to achieve a “humanitarian cease-fire,” and cited women’s rights and freedom among the great gains in the 19 years since the fall of the Taliban. Those gains have been threatened as the group steadily regained strength in recent years, and it’s unclear whether the Taliban will be willing to preserve them in any future government.
There is immense pressure on all parties in the talks, with Pompeo indicating American troop levels in Afghanistan would depend on the Taliban upholding its commitments with the US regardless of the outcome of negotiations. US troops levels have dropped steadily from about 13,000 since the Trump administration and Taliban leaders signed their own deal in February.
In his opening remarks in Doha on Saturday, Pompeo said a “durable peace is possible,” and that the US was not seeking to impose its system on others — instead the talks should produce “a political arrangement that accommodates competing views.” He said the US was willing to help if the sides wanted, but stressed the negotiations were an Afghan-led process now. “I cannot strongly enough urge you, seize this opportunity,” Pompeo said. “Protect this process, respect each other, be patient, remain focussed on the mission.”
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which leads a mission in Afghanistan to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces, is also urging the two sides to embrace the talks.
While the developments are a ray of hope for Afghans battered by years of attacks that have killed and maimed tens of thousands of people, the two sides face an uphill task at reaching a consensus.
The talks between President Ashraf Ghani’s administration and the Taliban follow the February US-Taliban accord.