Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in the Council of Ministers meeting on Monday said that “no major step has been taken on the peace process so far”, referring to recent efforts by the United States and the Afghan government to find a political settlement to the 18-year-old war in the country.
“Unfortunately, fighting is still ongoing during Ramadan. We wanted a ceasefire during this month, but so far it’s not been agreed upon,” Abdullah said.
The Taliban still continue the fighting and so far, no basic step has been taken about the peace process, he reiterated.
His remarks come as the Taliban rejected a call by the grand council of 3,200 delegates from around the country who asked the group to agree to a ceasefire with the Afghan government — at least during Ramadhan — to move forward the peace process.
The sixth round of the US and Taliban talks in Doha was wrapped up last week with “steady but slow” progress on key issues under debate, including foreign forces withdrawal and counterterrorism assurances as the US chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad put it.
However, the Taliban seemed optimistic about the outcome of the sixth round of Qatar talks as they described it in a statement. The group said that the two sides are preparing for the next round of the talks.
This comes as Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that there is a “real risk” that if American troops are pulled out of Afghanistan, the Taliban might retake control of the country.
Quoted in a report by CBS News, he said that the US should ensure that the Afghan government is stable before bringing American forces home.
“I think that the circumstances under which you bring them home matter. And I think trying to give the Afghan government the best possible shot at survival is really important for the future of Afghanistan,” Gates said as quoted by CBS News. He outlined potential consequences of the Taliban retaking control of the country, particularly the reduction of women’s rights.
“So the question is, can you negotiate an arrangement whereby the Taliban agree to operate under the Afghan Constitution, becomes a part of the political process?” Gates asked.
