Taliban soften as talks gain speed
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
ISLAMABAD - The process of bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table is
gaining momentum, with the United States and its allies escalating their
efforts to get America out of the Afghan quagmire.
In principle, the Taliban have agreed to clearly state their position on
several issues so that formal talks with Washington will be internationally
acceptable. In particular, the Taliban will explain their stance on al-Qaeda.
This has emerged following traditional Iftar (breaking of the fast)
dinners held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia during the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan for Taliban representatives.
In previous years, these dinners have been purely ceremonial, but
this month they have resulted in a positive exchange of ideas in which the
Taliban have put forward their views and the Americans' theirs, with the Saudis
and the Pakistani army relaying the messages.
The turning point that led to these exchanges came early this year.
First, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's supreme commander in
Afghanistan, was arrested in the Pakistani port city of Karachi in a raid by
Pakistani and US intelligence officials. Pakistan refused to hand him over for
interrogation.
The Pakistan army then dragged its feet over launching an offensive in the
North Waziristan tribal area to crack down on militants, notably the powerful
Haqqani network.
However, the army said it would step up efforts for the US to engage the
Taliban in peace talks. The first results began to emerge this Ramadan. (See
Taliban and US get down to talks Asia Times Online, September 11,
2010.)
Asia Times Online has learned that the backchannel talks have to date resulted
in the Taliban agreeing to issue a policy statement on their relationship with
al-Qaeda. They will clarify that they provided protection to al-Qaeda in
Afghanistan in line with Afghan traditions of being hospitable.
It was the presence of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda training camps in
Afghanistan that led the US to invade the country in late 2001 in retaliation
for the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
The Taliban will spell out their position of decrying international terrorism
and of not supporting violence in Muslim countries. Above all, they will
clearly state that the Taliban are an indigenous movement struggling against
foreign occupation forces with no agenda outside Afghan boundaries.
"This is the first time the situation has reached this level and this is the
result of several months of unannounced but untiring efforts by the Pakistan
army, with the consent of US military leaders who have very patiently and
diligently allowed the Pakistan army to create this environment in which the
Taliban feel comfortable, and they are now showing flexibility in their
attitude," a senior Pakistani security official familiar with the talks told
Asia Times Online.
Last year, Taliban leader Mullah Omar's highest-level emissary, Syed Tayyab
Agha, was invited to Riyadh, but when he learned that Saudi Arabia aimed to
talk to the Taliban at the behest of Washington he immediately discontinued the
dialogue, on Mullah Omar’s instructions, and returned to Pakistan. (See
War and peace: A Taliban view Asia Times Online, March 26, 2010.)
In the past, the Taliban's uncompromising attitude was based on two basic
issues. They wanted a revival of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan - as it
existed prior to the US invasion - and they were not prepared to take a clear
position on international terrorism. The Taliban have also previously insisted
that all foreign troops leave Afghanistan before any talks could begin.
During this Ramadan's talks in the UAE, Taliban representatives indicated a
willingness to accept a more broad-based political setup in Afghanistan.
The Taliban are still hostile towards former mujahideen leaders such as
Professor Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf, present leader of the opposition in
parliament; Yunus Qanooni, speaker of the National Assembly; Professor
Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former president who has organized some of President
Hamid Karzai's peace meetings jirgas; Uzbek strongman General Abdul
Rashid Dostum, and all others who fought against the Taliban.
However, the Taliban have agreed to discuss people within groups associated
with these men provided they have "a clean reputation and have never been
involved in bloodshed".
Since 9/11, the Taliban have hesitated to take a clear position towards
al-Qaeda. Initially, Taliban leaders denied any involvement on the part of Bin
Laden in the attacks on the US and urged Washington to produce evidence for a
trial. Even after al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for 9/11, the Taliban avoided
discussing the issue.
Now, for the first time, the Taliban have agreed to issue a policy statement
describing where they stand as far as al-Qaeda's international strategy is
concerned. During the talks in the UAE, it was clarified that the Taliban would
not allow any training camps for international terrorism on their territory.
However, the Taliban pointed out that if a person crossed the Kandahar border
(Afghanistan) and entered into Chaman (a Pakistani area) and carried out an act
of sabotage, it would not be the responsibility of the Afghan government, which
would only be accountable within its borders.
Neither the Afghan government nor the Pakistani government is officially aware
of the backchannel initiative with the Taliban.
Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, however, has created a special desk to
deal directly with Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, which in turn will liaise with
the army, through which all aspects of the dialogue will flow.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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