New Delhi: US President Donald Trump shocked the world when he tweeted that he had invited the Taliban to America to hold a secret meeting at Camp David, eventually cancelling it after the killing of an American soldier in Kabul.
“Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position?” Trump tweeted on Sunday.
Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
….an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations. What kind of people would kill so many in order to seemingly strengthen their bargaining position? They didn’t, they….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
Trump also hinted at stalling the ongoing the peace talks, which the US is negotiating with the Taliban for last one year.
“They didn’t, they only made it worse! If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How many more decades are they willing to fight?”
….only made it worse! If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don’t have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway. How many more decades are they willing to fight?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
Focus on Khalilzad
The focus is now back on Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, who continues to remain in Qatar’s capital Doha, talking to the Taliban.
Khalilzad, who usually tweets updates on his talks with the Taliban almost on a daily basis, has been off Twitter for more than a week.
His last tweet, posted on 1 September, read: “We are in the midst of an agreement that will reduce tyranny and open it up to Afghans to sit back and talk about a dignified and sustainable peace and a united and authoritative Afghanistan that threatens the United States, its allies and another country.”
موږ د یوه داسې توافق په درشل کې یو چې زورزیاتی به لږ کړي او افغانانو ته به ور پرانیزي چې سره کښیني او د یوې باعزته او پایدارې سولې او د یوه متحده او بااقتداره افغانستان په اړه چې متحده ایالتونو، متحدینو یې او بل هیواد ته ګواښ ونکړي، مذاکرات وکړې.
— U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) September 1, 2019
The blast and its aftermath
A US soldier was killed Thursday when a car bomb exploded near NATO headquarters and US embassy in Kabul. The attack was claimed by the Taliban.
They did this even as Khalilzad said in an interview to Afghanistan’s TOLO News that the US and the Taliban had reached an agreement ‘in principle’, awaiting formal approval from Trump.
If the Camp David meetings had gone ahead, Trump would hosted the Taliban three days before America is set to observe the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, masterminded by Al-Qaeda that had links with the Taliban. It was 9/11 that led US to herald the ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan, which is continuing to this day.
Trump is believed to have invited the Taliban delegation, including one of their prominent leaders Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in order to have the so-called peace agreement signed in the presence of Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who was also supposed to be at Camp David.
The talks between the US and the Taliban are being facilitated by Pakistan. But interestingly, no Pakistani leader appears to have been invited because President Trump only referred to inviting Taliban leaders and President Ghani.
Experts differ over US’ next move
Doubts have emerged on whether the US will continue to carry on the dialogue process and sign the peace accord. Trump, who is facing elections next year, has promised to withdraw his troops from Kabul, ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.
“President Trump will now get Khalilzad to hammer out some assurance from the Taliban that they tone down their actions. Khalilzad will find out ways to have that done and retrieve the situation,” Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador to Afghanistan and distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation ORF, told ThePrint.
“The talks are going to happen soon and an agreement may even be signed in a week’s time.”
India, which has chosen to stay away from the talks, had participated in the dialogue only once when it was held in Moscow last year. India had sent Amar Sinha, the former envoy to Kabul, and T.C.A. Raghavan, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan as non-official representative.
“It looks now that the talks are not going to be concluded anytime soon. Although it’s too early to say that the US is calling off the talks, but clearly they now see peace talks are not going to be concluded quickly without a ceasefire,” Raghavan said.
According to Sinha, going by the Taliban’s relentless attacks, it is unlikely that the deal will be signed soon.
“It may need more time and the Taliban will have to take a call on violence reduction,” he said.
Also read: Afghan history holds lesson for US-Taliban peace talks — change has always led to violence
The constructive takeaway is that long running, intractable issues like the war in Afghanistan or the Israel – Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved through gifted, personalised diplomacy over the dinner table in Camp David. President Obama used patient multilateral diplomacy to halt Iran’s nuclear programme, which his successor has resiled from. Or the Paris Accord and the TPP. 2. Ambassador Khalilzad is a good man, perhaps he could have forged a superior understanding with the Taliban if his mandate had not been so sharply focused on getting the boys home for a Thanksgiving turkey.
आप लिखते अच्छा हैं पर जानकारी कम रखते हैं। Judgement पास करने में उस्ताद हैं। एक teacher की तरह ‘good’ ओर ‘bad’ देने में शेर हैं।
Sher hain, yeh aap ki baat pasand aayee …