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India feels ‘isolation’ in Afghan-Taliban talks
Officials say India will convey its unease, concerns ‘quietly’
NEW DELHI – As representatives of the Afghanistan government prepare for another round of talks with Taliban representatives on Friday, India is being frozen out of the talks, Indian journalist Suhasini Haidar wrote in her report for The Hindu newspaper on Tuesday.
Quoting unnamed ‘officials,’ she reported that India was far from comfortable with the direction the talks are taking, saying that all ‘red lines’ have been violated so far. In 2010, then Afghan president Hamid Karzai had listed these ‘red lines’ as an acceptance of the Afghan constitution; peace or a ceasefire as a pre-condition for the talks; and following an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process.
The journalist claimed that the current round of talks initiated by President Ashraf Ghani was happening ‘without a ceasefire’ in place, while the Taliban representatives were pushing for the re-establishment of an Islamic Emirate, rather than the constitution. The next round of the talks is expected to be held on July 31, according to the Afghanistan Peace Council.
Initial negotiations between Afghanistan envoys and various Taliban leaders began in May this year with representatives of the UN, US and China attending as observers at a meeting in Doha in early May. This was followed by a second round of talks in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang province in the third week of May. However, the Murree peace talks of July 7-8 were the first officially acknowledged round of the talks from all sides.
Unlike other attempts for the talks, officials in the US and China called the Murree talks as a success. On July 8, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States welcomed the talks, calling them an important step towards advancing prospects for a credible peace. China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China viewed the talks positively.
“A second face-to-face meeting in less than a month clearly suggests a forward movement,” a senior Pakistan official said. “A truce and other confidence building measures will top the agenda when both sides meet on July 31,” he added. The journalist pointed out that India has made no ‘official statement’ about the current round of talks, which have ‘blind-sided the government’ with their speed and progress.
– Taliban as legitimate representative –
Indian officials remain skeptical about whether the talks will resolve the violence in Afghanistan. “With each round of talks, both Afghanistan and the world community are accepting that the Taliban is a legitimate representative of Afghans, when in fact they are a terror group,” the journalist quoted an unnamed ‘senior’ Indian ‘diplomat’ as saying.
However, the Indian officials said that the government would take a more realistic position despite the fact that India has little say in the outcome. “We will convey our unease and concerns – but ‘quietly’ – and only to those willing to listen,” the paper quoted again an unnamed ‘official’ as saying.
India feels ‘isolation’ in Afghan-Taliban talks
Officials say India will convey its unease, concerns ‘quietly’
- Web Desk
- July 28, 2015, 9:48 pm
NEW DELHI – As representatives of the Afghanistan government prepare for another round of talks with Taliban representatives on Friday, India is being frozen out of the talks, Indian journalist Suhasini Haidar wrote in her report for The Hindu newspaper on Tuesday.
Quoting unnamed ‘officials,’ she reported that India was far from comfortable with the direction the talks are taking, saying that all ‘red lines’ have been violated so far. In 2010, then Afghan president Hamid Karzai had listed these ‘red lines’ as an acceptance of the Afghan constitution; peace or a ceasefire as a pre-condition for the talks; and following an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process.
The journalist claimed that the current round of talks initiated by President Ashraf Ghani was happening ‘without a ceasefire’ in place, while the Taliban representatives were pushing for the re-establishment of an Islamic Emirate, rather than the constitution. The next round of the talks is expected to be held on July 31, according to the Afghanistan Peace Council.
Initial negotiations between Afghanistan envoys and various Taliban leaders began in May this year with representatives of the UN, US and China attending as observers at a meeting in Doha in early May. This was followed by a second round of talks in Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang province in the third week of May. However, the Murree peace talks of July 7-8 were the first officially acknowledged round of the talks from all sides.
Unlike other attempts for the talks, officials in the US and China called the Murree talks as a success. On July 8, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the United States welcomed the talks, calling them an important step towards advancing prospects for a credible peace. China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China viewed the talks positively.
“A second face-to-face meeting in less than a month clearly suggests a forward movement,” a senior Pakistan official said. “A truce and other confidence building measures will top the agenda when both sides meet on July 31,” he added. The journalist pointed out that India has made no ‘official statement’ about the current round of talks, which have ‘blind-sided the government’ with their speed and progress.
– Taliban as legitimate representative –
Indian officials remain skeptical about whether the talks will resolve the violence in Afghanistan. “With each round of talks, both Afghanistan and the world community are accepting that the Taliban is a legitimate representative of Afghans, when in fact they are a terror group,” the journalist quoted an unnamed ‘senior’ Indian ‘diplomat’ as saying.
However, the Indian officials said that the government would take a more realistic position despite the fact that India has little say in the outcome. “We will convey our unease and concerns – but ‘quietly’ – and only to those willing to listen,” the paper quoted again an unnamed ‘official’ as saying.
India feels ‘isolation’ in Afghan-Taliban talks
