US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has embarked on his sixth multi-nation tour as part of his push to bring Afghan conflict to a negotiated end. According to a statement released by US State Department, Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Russia, Qatar, and the United Kingdom. During the marathon trip that began on April 21 and would run through May 11, the US special representative will hold a sixth round of negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar. Although the United States and Taliban have apparently reached an agreement on two key issues: foreign troop withdrawal timetable and guarantees by the Taliban not to allow anyone to pose a threat to the United States and its allies from Afghanistan, both sides now seem to be at odds about the agenda of the next meeting. Sohail Shaheen, a spokesman for the Taliban’s Qatar-based Political Office, has said the upcoming round of talks will focus on discussions about the timetable of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan; however, Khalilzad’s statements indicate that the American focus and push are on ceasefire.
The progress achieved so far in negotiations between American and the Taliban has revived hopes for political settlement of the four decades of bloody conflict in Afghanistan. All efforts should be made not to allow disagreement over agenda or any other problem further frustrates the momentum in peace talks. There is no doubt that reduction in violence or armistice is a serious need because it is the only element through which the war-weary Afghan nation can see the result of peace talks, but the Taliban’s stance shows that the group is not ready to agree to a ceasefire or engage in official talks with Afghan government before the announcement of a timetable for the drawdown of foreign troops. The upper hand on the battlefields, and control over almost half of the country’s territory have given the Taliban a leverage to persuade Americans to meet their demands without them showing any flexibility. If the US has, in principle, reached a deal with the Taliban on troop withdrawal, it should also not refrain from announcing the timetable. When there is agreement about withdrawal of troops, the time of the announcement should not become a factor to sabotage the whole peace process. It is a need to emphasize on ceasefire, but if the Taliban are as sensitive to it as it can prompt them to boycott the ongoing talks, such insistence can then do more harm than good.
The best scenario will be that the Taliban and America continue to deliberate on issues in which both sides see a greater opportunity for an accord. Emphasis on matters which the opposing side views as redlines can threaten the whole process in addition to the progress achieved in peace talks so far. Both parties need to find more common grounds in the next round of negotiations, and take the war-battered people yet another step closer towards peace.