KABUL (Tolo News): Peace negotiator Fawzia Koofi said she sees no consensus within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on the future government that will be agreed upon as part of a peace deal when negotiations move forward.
Based on a list of the demands of both sides’ negotiators, the Taliban is insisting on the establishment of an Islamic system while the Afghan Republic team is stressing on preserving the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan after a possible deal. The Afghan Republic and the Taliban negotiators are expected to resume the peace negotiations in Doha on Jan. 5.
Koofi said they will travel back to Doha after gathering views about the type of future government. “The post-2001 Afghanistan seems to have remained unacceptable, indigestible and understandable for the Taliban,” Koofi said. “The main obstacle to peace with justice and dignity is that the negotiators should be ready for peace and a system that is based on justice,” said Mohammad Amin Ahmadi, a negotiator.
Ahmadi said the main obstacle to achieving peace was the unwillingness of both sides to negotiate a just peace. Ahmadi said the Taliban’s current narrative of an Islamic political system is different from the incumbent political system in the country, suggesting that the Taliban should change its stance to ensure peace in the country.
He said the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban should endorse the formation of a participatory government to move forward towards peace. “The Taliban talks about a series of perceptions and views that are totally in contradiction of the rule of the people and the interest of the people. For instance, the Taliban most likely is not prepared to endorse the Islamic republic system,” Ahmadi said. Taliban’s spokesman Mohammad Naeem told TOLOnews that they are fully prepared for the second round of the negotiations. “We will return to what was agreed. We do not have any problem in this matter,” said Naeem. The first round of talks between the two sides started on September 12 and continued until December 11.
