Taliban wants an ‘inclusive post-peace govt’

MOSCOW (TOLO News): Amir Khan Muttaqi, a member of Taliban who attended the Moscow meeting, said the group wants an inclusive government to come on power in Afghanistan after a possible peace deal.

Muttaqi’s remarks came following a two-day meeting between the Taliban members and Afghan politicians in Moscow this week where they discussed Afghan peace and declared a joint statement.

“We want all Afghans to stay united and the future government should be an inclusive system,” Muttaqi said.

According to Muttaqi, Taliban attended Moscow meeting to turn the world’s attention towards Afghanistan’s situation and also to pass on their message to the world.

Muttaqi said the group will respect the rights of women.

“The rights of the Afghan women are that their sons should not be killed, their husbands should not be killed, their houses should not be destroyed, they should not be forced out of their homes. These rights should be given to the women and the rights of children also should be given to them,” Muttaqi said.

Meanwhile, Atta Mohammad Noor, the CEO of Jamiat-e-Islami party and a delegate of Moscow meeting said another intra-Afghan meeting will be held in Germany late in June.

So far, the Afghan politicians and the Taliban have met twice, both times in Moscow, and following their meetings, they have issued joint statements.

Shahzada Massoud, an advisor to former president Hamid Karzai and a delegate of Moscow meeting, however, said nothing has been agreed about the timing and the venue of the next intra-Afghan meeting.

“Such a decision has not been made there that says the next negotiations will take place in Germany. It might be Mr. Noor’s personal view, but at the meeting, no agreement was made on the next negotiation or its place,” Massoud said.

The remarks over possible intra-Afghan dialogue comes after on May 19 Germany’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Markus Potzel met with Taliban’s deputy head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Qatar and discussed political settlement in Afghanistan.

“Germany as an influential country can have positive impacts on the Afghan peace issues and it can convince the parties to sit around the table for bringing peace in Afghanistan,” said Qazir Abdul Rahim Rahin, a political analyst.

Although the Afghan politicians raised hopes on the first day of the meeting – in Moscow in which Russian diplomats also were present to mark the 100 years of Afghanistan-Russia relations – that they will reach an agreement with the Taliban for a ceasefire, but the agreement did not reach.

Fawzia Koofi, a former MP and a delegate of Moscow meeting meanwhile, said the Taliban is not interested to be part of the current government and that the group still wants an Islamic emirate.

“The Taliban does not have the morale of harmony and living together. They say that you will all have a place under the Islamic emirate,” Koofi said at a press conference in Kabul on Friday.