The newly-established Reconciliation Leadership Council so far has not announced a final decision on the delegation which will attend the Qatar meeting on April 19, while the council announced on Wednesday that the Qatar delegation and the government’s negotiating team will be finalized on Saturday.
The council’s third meeting which was expected to be held on Saturday was postponed.
Sources said the meeting was delayed due to “disagreements” between members of the council on Qatar delegation.
President Ghani’s Special Envoy and spokesman of the Council, Umer Daudzai, who briefed media on peace Jirga at a press conference in Kabul on Saturday, said one of the disagreements is about the number of the delegates.
“One of the disagreements is the number of delegates who will travel to Qatar. In the Wednesday meeting of the Reconciliation Leadership Council, an agreement was reached in this regard. Some members of the council were suggesting that a small number of delegates will attend the (Qatar) meeting,” said Daudzai.
Daudzai said that nothing will postpone the Qatar meeting and that the delegation will be announced soon.
“Everyone wants to have more share and want to have a greater role and it is right. I think such disagreements will not cause us to lose opportunities or cause the Qatar intra-Afghan talks to be canceled. It will happen on its time, we have time,” Daudzai said.
“The decision is that all should go together. It will be a continuation of Moscow meeting if the (Afghan) government does not attend the Qatar meeting,” said Daud Kalakani, a former MP.
Disagreements between the Reconciliation Council have raised concerns among the people that a national consensus on peace talks may not be reached.
Dawa Khan Minapal, a former spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said members of the council should not act based on their own interests regarding the peace process.
“If anyone acts based on his own preferences, I think it is damaging the peace process,” Minapal said.
Qatar meeting was scheduled after the Afghan prominent politicians met Taliban in Moscow in February in which the Afghan government did not attend.
