The United States and Taliban seem to be close to a peace deal. Washington has reportedly asked the Taliban in the last round of peace talks in Doha to declare a ten-day ceasefire at the time of signing the peace agreement, a demand that has been accepted by the Taliban leadership according to unconfirmed reports. Although the militants have not yet officially confirmed their leadership’s concurrence with the truce, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday that discussions over a possible ceasefire were ongoing among their leaders, and the decision would be announced after finalized.
With the signing of the agreement between Taliban and Americans, the peace process will enter second phase, which is the initiation of Afghans-to-Afghans negotiations about all pending issues, including the future of the country. Before the second phase, the government and all political forces that were part of the post-Taliban regime over the last two decades need to adopt a unified stance. Such a consensus has not been forged at least so far, and neither have enough efforts been made by the government to achieve it.
The government, especially the Presidential Palace or Arg, insists it has appointed a delegation for intra-Afghan talks, but will announce it once the United States and Taliban sign the peace agreement. The Presidential Palace knows that the team it has formed will not be acceptable to political groups, and is therefore reluctant to unveil it. By doing so, Arg is not tackling the problem but rather buying time by pushing it to a more critical moment — the start of talks among Afghans.
If the government announces a negotiating team that is not acceptable to the political parties at the commencement of intra-Afghan talks, the peace process can face with a huge challenge. Instead of creating barriers, the government leadership has to work on building a consensus in the country before the start of intra-Afghan negotiations. Government leaders must consult all political sides on the formation of a negotiating team that not only can better represent all Afghan people but also is acceptable to all sides. Any disagreements over the makeup of the delegation during intra-Afghan negotiations can squander the golden opportunity for peace presented to Afghans after several decades of conflict.
