Khalilzad calls for intra-Afghan negotiations

KABUL (Agencies): Washington’s former special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has called for intra-Afghan negotiations to discuss the structure of the new government. In an interview with BBC, Khalilzad said that there are some points in the deal that have not been implemented by the international community, the IEA and other Afghans, but that there can be negotiations for their implementation.
“Afghans should decide on the future by their own, no foreigner can resolve the problem,” Khalilzad said.
He said that there was a need for an intra-Afghan political settlement and that some of those who previously opposed the Doha deal are now backing the deal. Khalilzad said that conditions have changed and the US cannot offer a specific formula or insist on the inclusion of specific people in the government. “How it should be and who should be there is a matter for Afghans to decide,” he said.
Khalilzad criticized the former Afghan government for not taking the negotiations seriously due to miscalculations that a change in US government would change its policies on the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Khalilzad’s comments come as IEA officials say they have been asked to include 15 figures in the government for its recognition. Shahabuddin Delwar, who was speaking during a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of IEA-US deal, suggested that the demand could not be accepted as the proposed individuals were traitors.