KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani on Monday stressed the need for a swift and comprehensive peace agreement that could help avoid past mistakes such as the 1979 coup.
The president in a televised broadcast called on the Taliban to arrive at direct talks with his administration while stressed national unity, protection of basic rights of citizens.
Ghani said the presence of foreign troops in the country was based on need and this need had always been discussed.
He said according to an exact and arranged plan, they were trying to bring down the presence of foreign troops in the country to zero.
The president video message comes after the US and Taliban held four rounds of talks without participation of the Afghan government. The latest round of six days of talks recently ended in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
Ghani said every Afghan desired peace in the country and he since the day one in office had strived for peace and would continue to work for peace in the country.
“We should not forget that the victims of the war are Afghans and the ownership of peace should be in the hands of Afghans because they are being killed and injured. It is not acceptable for Afghans to be repeatedly killed and forced to migrate to other countries.”
The president said no Afghan wished to see foreign forces stay in their country for a long term and no Afghan wanted to face suicide bombings in mosque, hospital, school or park.
Ghani said his government was fully committed to bringing peace to the country and opening a new chapter in the history of Afghanistan.
He said ceasefire and multilateral peace talks were the initiative of the government of Afghanistan, which has no example in the past 40 years.
Ghani claimed he had a clear plan for peace and pledged that peace would be established and every catastrophe and danger prevented.
“Government’s commitment for peace is pure and without exaggeration. Efforts for peace are underway along with short-term and long-term development plans in the country,” he said.
“The Taliban have two choices either to hear the voice of the nation or become a tool in implementation of the polices of strangers, if the Taliban continue to unleash violence, fighting and prevent the government to become strong and effective, this is what the outsiders want,” Ghani believed.
Ghani asked the Taliban to distance themselves from dirty designs of foreigners and express their determination as Afghans and listen to the great nation by arriving at direct talks with the government.
