A Moscow-based Afghan diaspora group is set to host two-day peace talks between Afghan politicians and Taliban representatives. Organized by the Moscow-based Council of Afghan Society, the meeting is due to start today and continue on Wednesday, and will be attended by prominent Afghan political figures, including former president Hamid Karzai. At a joint statement released after meeting in Kabul, the participating delegates have called the initiative a turning point for facilitating an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue, insisting that they would defend Afghanistan’s national and democratic values at the meeting. They have also said that they would voice support for the Zalmay Khalilzad-led US-Taliban peace negotiations at the meeting.
Although the meeting has been organized by the Council of Afghan Society, Moscow’s support for and role in the initiative cannot be ruled out despite the Russian government’s denial of any involvement. Nonetheless, Kabul has described the Moscow meeting as “futile”, fearing Moscow’s growing role in the Afghan peace process on the one hand and the opposition leaders’ attempts to highjack the peace initiative on the other hand. Afghan government is concerned about the Moscow conference despite that face that the joint statement of the participating delegation clearly says the meeting is a major step towards jump-starting intra-Afghan peace negotiations.
As politicians, the Afghan delegates present at the Moscow conference have the right to meet with anyone, including the Taliban, but the decision-making authority lies exclusively with Afghan government which is an elected representative of people. Regardless of how much the National Unity Government was and is faced with legitimacy crisis for its disrespect for the votes of people, only the government can make final decision on any peace deal with the Taliban. It would be a breakthrough if the Afghan delegation at Moscow meeting insists on the points highlighted in the joint statement, and succeeds to pave the way for intra-Afghan dialogue. Therefore, the government should not oppose the meeting. The delegation’s public support for Khalilzad’s peace talks with Taliban should assuage the concerns that Moscow peace conference is perhaps an attempt to sabotage the direct US-Taliban talks.
The best choice for Afghan leaders who have participated in the meeting is to emphasize on initiation of talks between Afghans, of which the government is a key side. If they manage to achieve that, it is a positive development. But if they seek to strike any deal with the Taliban on behalf of Afghan people, it certainly can complicate the peace process, and be considered an attempt to scuttle the US-led peace talks.