The Afghan Taliban’s political spokesman Suhail Shaheen confirmed on Tuesday that China will host intra-Afghan conference on Oct 28-29 to explore ways for peace and reconciliation in the war-shattered country.
Shaheen said a delegation of the Taliban political representatives will join the dialogue with delegates from Afghanistan at a time the peace dialogue between the Taliban and the US faces deadlock. President Donald Trump abruptly called talks with the Taliban in early September after a suicide bombing in Kabul killed an American soldier. “I can confirm an intra-Afghan conference is scheduled to be held in China on Oct. 28-29 and we will attend,” Shaheen told Daily Times from Doha, the capital of Qatar, where Taliban have political headquarters.
China has actively been involved in the Afghan peace process and had offered to host intra-Afghan dialogue if all sides are agreed.
A Pakistan official says Islamabad supports Beijing’s initiative as it will provide an opportunity to the Taliban and the Afghan political leaders to discuss the peace process with special focus on the future of Afghanistan.
China had hosted representatives of the Taliban and Afghan government in Urumqi, capital of the western region of Xinjiang, in May 2015 with the mediation of Pakistan.
Beijing has old contacts with the Taliban political office in Qatar and Taliban travelled to China twice in recent months. Officials in Kabul are in the process of forming delegation for the China’s meet and some sources confided to Daily Times that a 25-member team, including government’s representatives, will join the Taliban in dialogue.
A source said Taliban have objected at the inclusion of Sarwar Danish, vice-president, in the Kabul’s team as they oppose participation of senior Afghan officials but insisted on the lower level government’s representatives.
Earlier Russia and Qatar hosted intra-Afghan conference this year. Pakistani sources say China will inform a meeting of big three – China, Russia and the US as well as Pakistan – in Moscow on Oct. 25 on the Afghan peace. Special envoys of the three countries a senior Pakistani diplomat Muhammed Aejaz will attend the consultations. Shaheen said Taliban are ready for both — resumption of the stalled peace process and war — and that it is up to the Americans which option they prefer.
Meanwhile US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, who has embarked on a visit to Brussels, Paris and Moscow on Monday, has met senior NATO officials in Brussels.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tweeted that NATO and its partners remain committed to supporting Afghanistan and creating the conditions for a peaceful settlement.
