Islamabad – Top diplomats from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), are scheduled to meet in Islamabad on May 18 to discuss ways to start the peace talks in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan officials and diplomats said on Monday in Islamabad that this would be the first meeting of the QCG since the Taliban have refused to take part in the direct talks with the Afghan government.
The QCG in its last meeting in Kabul in February had invited the insurgents to join the process by the first week of March.
The officials said the meeting is seen very important as Afghanistan is now pushing for action against the Taliban as they are unwilling to come to the negotiation table and launched their annual Spring Offensive.
The Taliban huge suicide bombing in Kabul on April 19 that killed 64 people and injured nearly 350 has badly affected efforts for the peace negotiations.
Pakistan Foreign Affairs adviser, Sartaj Aziz, said President Ashraf Ghani in his parliament speech on April 25th had prioritised war with the Taliban.
He said government now wanted the QCG to opt for action against the Taliban, however, Pakistan still insisted on the political negotiations.
Aziz said Pakistan has been impressing upon the U.S. and Afghan side that the reconciliation process needs to be given a fair chance and more time.
He further said irreconcilable elements can be targeted after concerted efforts of negotiations have failed.
“We hope to discuss these issues in detail during the upcoming round of the QCG in Islamabad on 18-19 May.
Omar Zakhilwal, Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad, said Kabul has called on QCG to pronounce the Taliban as “irreconcilable because they have publicly rejected the talks.
He said the QCG in its meeting in Kabul, agreed on a roadmap in February and that Kabul hopes the grouping would implement its decisions.
The ambassador said the roadmap is precisely about the steps that the QCG member countries needed in their respective relevant domains during peace talks if they began and also if Taliban refused to join talks.
Zakhilwal said that now that the Taliban publicly refused to join talks and opted for more violence the second scenario is applicable. (Xinhua/NAN)
