Afghan politicians meet in Kabul to discuss peace amid Doha talks

KABUL (TOLO News): Prominent political figures on Saturday gathered in Kabul to discuss the participation of all the country’s political factions in the peace process.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Abdullah said that no one should strive to obstruct the peace process for his personal agenda and should instead work on creating a consensus on the issue.

The meeting, which was held at the residence of Mohammad Mohaqiq, the second deputy of Abdullah Abullah, brought together several key politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai, former vice president Mohammad Younsu Qanooni, and the head of the High Peace Council (HPC), Mohammad Karim Khalili.

Addressing the gathering, Qanooni said that the Afghan politicians have prepared a peace plan that can help to end the conflict in the country.

“We sat together to exchange views on the settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan,” said Hamid Karzai.

This comes a few days after President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos accused Karzai and Abdullah of having no plan for peace in Afghanistan.

“It’s better to involve all,” said Abdullah, adding that no one should be allowed to exploit the process for his personal agenda.

“The plan, which is intended to be an outline by the Afghan politicians, is a plan for the Afghan people who seek to achieve peace,” said Qanooni, the former vice president to Hamid Karzai.

“Unfortunately, the government has lost the control of the current situation,” said Mohaqiq.

“With the start of intra-Afghan talks, then discussions will be held on the issue of a permanent ceasefire; we should welcome this, we should not reject it at any cost, rejection means saying NO to peace,” said Khalili.

This new development occurs as the talks between the US and the Taliban have entered into a reportedly advanced phase and it is expected that the two sides seal a peace deal in the near future.