Afghanistan's Ghani says now is the time for peace

Now is the "right moment" for peace in Afghanistan, President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday as he once more called on the Taliban to negotiate with his government.

The Taliban have steadfastly refused to discuss peace with Ghani, whom they consider a US stooge heading an illegitimate regime.

But a series of talks in recent days seems to have shifted the needle in Afghanistan's war, with the US and the Taliban claiming to have made significant progress during a summit in Doha.

Additionally, some members of Ghani's circle attended overlapping talks in the Qatari capital with the Taliban, though only in what they called a "personal capacity".

"In the past 18 years the time was not right for peace, for a realistic peace. Today is the right moment," Ghani said at an EU anti-corruption conference being held in Kabul.

"If we lose this opportunity then the responsibility (for the loss) is big."

Ghani stressed that the Taliban and his government must negotiate.

"We are the two warring sides," he said.

Following days of talks last week with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Taliban met Afghan representatives at an "intra-Afghan dialogue".

The US has insisted on such talks and the two Afghan sides issued a joint resolution pledging a "roadmap for peace" for the war-torn country.

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'Rushing for the exits': Rival Afghans meet in Doha
Doha (AFP) July 5, 2019
Rival Afghans will meet Sunday in Doha for a fresh round of talks mediated by Qatar and Germany, as the US eyes peace with the Taliban within three months. The first such encounter in Moscow was heralded as a breakthrough but many sensitive issues including women's rights, foreign military withdrawal, Al-Qaeda and power sharing with the Taliban remain unresolved. Two experts spoke to AFP about their expectations for the talks which follow a week of direct negotiations between the US and the Tal ... read more