Crucial Afghan talks today

[Lankan Ranger]

Crucial Afghan talks today

A high-level delegation led by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani will pay a daylong official visit to Kabul today (Saturday) to discuss host of issues of bilateral interest with Afghan government.

The crucial visit is in response to invitation of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Prime Minister Gilani.

Others who would accompany the Prime Minister are Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, DG ISI Lt. General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Ministers of Defence, Interior, Finance, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir.

Official sources told The Nation Friday that US troops’ pullout plan, war against terrorism, border crossing, Afghan Taliban reconciliation, repatriation of Afghan refugees and Pakistan- Afghanistan transit trade agreement would be discussed during the meeting.

“The purpose of the visit is to ensure that both the neighbouring countries are on the same page in tackling the bilateral challenges,” a senior government official said.

He was of the view that issue of reconciliation with Taliban would be discussed in the light of the proposal discussed in Ankara between President Asif Ali Zardari and his Turkish counterpart about permission to Taliban to open a political office in Ankara.

The move is in line with the proposal to help facilitate Afghan Taliban leadership for talks with Afghan government to resolve the issue for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan as well as the region.

The sources further said that Islamabad and Kabul would also formalise a bilateral strategic dialogue to boost cooperation in defence, security and Political fields.

The sources were of the view that there would be two-tier level talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, adding that Prime Minister Gilani, Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and DG ISI would hold talks with Afghan President, Afghan Army Chief and Afghan intelligence chief.

Another meeting involving the DG ISI and Secretary Foreign Affairs Salman Bashir with Afghan leaders would follow this.

Both sides are expected to form working groups comprising officials from the foreign and interior minnistries of the two countries.

The sources pointed out that the high-level meetings of the foreign and interior ministries as well as DG ISI with the COAS continued till late night to discuss issues. Prime Minister Gilani also called on President Zardari and took him on broad about the visit.

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[muse]

Seems everyone is talking to the Talib, especially the US (Daal mei kala) Double dealing US wants military action from Pakistan while it negotiates with Talib:

Clinton defends talks with Taliban
By AFP
April 15, 2011



BERLIN: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday voiced understanding for talks with the Taliban as she mourned late diplomat Richard Holbrooke, an avid proponent of reconciliation in Afghanistan.

At a memorial service, Clinton credited Holbrooke — who died unexpectedly at the age of 69 in December — with setting the troubled US relationships with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the right track as special envoy to the countries.

“Those who found negotiations with the Taliban distasteful got a very powerful response from Richard — diplomacy would be easy if we only had to talk to our friends,” Clinton said at the American Academy in Berlin, which was co-founded by Holbrooke, a former ambassador to Germany.

“And negotiating with your adversaries wasn’t a disservice to people who had died, if by talking you could prevent more violence,” Clinton said.

Holbrooke was seen as the main force in President Barack Obama’s administration seeking a political deal in Afghanistan, despite calls by conservatives and the military to try to crush the Taliban insurgency.

Obama has tripled the number of troops in Afghanistan to around 100,000 but his administration has also increasingly signalled it does not believe there is a military solution to the conflict.

Clinton, while supporting the diplomatic push, made clear in talks Thursday with NATO foreign ministers that the United States would stay committed militarily in Afghanistan well beyond a July drawdown date originally set by Obama.