KABUL (Tolo News): The Afghan government needs to build a strong consensus around peace to move the process forward, said Salahuddin Rabbani, the head of the main faction of Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan, criticizing that so far, no constructive step has been taken to expedite the reconciliation efforts.
Citing division among mainstream political leaders, Rabbani said the key solution to move forward is to overcome the rifts and promote consensus around peace. Rabbani, who is a major critic of President Ghani’s administration, said “certain individuals” have “monopolized” the peace process, impeding its progress.
“Some people take the continuation of war as a mission and as an objective while some others see it as a tool to continue their grip on power and the privileges that are originated from the war. Therefore, if they chant the slogan of peace, in action, they make plans for war,” said Rabbani. The remarks come as the Presidential Palace has expedited its efforts to form the State Supreme Council as an initial step to strengthen consensus around peace.
Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, said the council will act as a decision-maker authority on national issues and Afghanistan’s foreign policy. “The council must be a council that would have decision-making authority about the country’s foreign policy and national security affairs,” Abdullah said at the same event. “The government is not sincere when it comes to creating the council,” Senate Deputy Speaker Mohammad Alam Ezedyar said. “The government has no commitment to granting authority to the council.”
The lack of consensus among the country’s political leaders has created concerns about the future of the peace efforts as Abdullah Abdullah said the system will collapse if Afghan leaders do not forge a consensus on the issues of national importance. The Supreme State Council was expected to hold its first meeting this week, but differences on the number of its members, the authorities and the mandate of the council have delayed the formation of the council. According to sources familiar with the matter, the council will have 21 members, including four women.
