Belated peace is better than an endless war. Afghans who have been deprived of a happy life by war virtually for the past half-century are thirsty for peace more than anything else. The ceasefire for three days over the Eid holiday proved that Afghan people are ready to accept and embrace even the killers of their family members so that the ongoing tragedy will end. It does not mean that they do not want the transitional justice; they are seeking to save the lives of the remaining members of their families. They fear that their insistence on transitional justice will give the belligerent sides a pretext to further spill the blood of the oppressed nation.
Any peace efforts made by anyone are laudable. As a responsible side, it is the duty of the Afghan government to welcome all peace endeavors. The Moscow process is part of the Afghan peace initiative. Although the results of the process are not yet very tangible, and that the Afghan government, as a key side of the conflict, may also have some reservations about the process, its total boycott is not a good choice. In a recent development related to the initiative, Russia has postponed the Moscow conference on Afghan peace at the request of Kabul. According to Afghan government, the decision came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. In a statement, the Presidential Palace (Arg) has said the conference was delayed at the request of Afghan government in order to better prepare for it, and that both Kabul and Moscow co-chair it. It is a step forward because it is better for the Afghan government to see a peace conference taking place in its presence than boycott it.
While the Moscow conference cannot be expected to produce any tangible results in America’s absence, Washington can be pressed to join the process or at least support its resolutions in case Afghan government and the Taliban reach a potential agreement. The Moscow meeting should focus on bringing the United States on board in addition to facilitating direct peace talks between Afghan government and the Taliban. If Moscow process meetings lead to tangible results, Afghanistan and other member states of the process can press the US to support its results. If Washington still refuses to take part in the process or support its results, its opposition to Afghan peace will become evident for all.
The postponement of Moscow conference
