Kabuls conundrum over Pakistan mars peace talks

December 12, 2015 23:42

The renewed prospects of Afghan peace talks got upstaged no sooner than President Ashraf Ghani returned to Kabul on Thursday after a 3-day visit to Pakistan that had marked an improvement of relations between the two countries.

Ghani told the media in Kabul that serious reconciliation talks will begin soon with the Taliban in the next few weeks and, Inshah Allah, they will reach a conclusion.

He said Afghan government will embrace those Taliban factions that desire reconciliation and at the same time fight the intransigent, irreconcilable factions.

In his words, Pakistan also has agreed to join hands and use all means, including military force, in this fight. Meanwhile, unnamed Pakistani officials hinted in Islamabad that reconciliation talks could begin as early as next week.

In a statement in the Pakistan National Assembly on Friday, advisor on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz also acknowledged that the most important subject during the sideline meetings at the Heart of Asia conference last week in Islamabad was to explore ways and means of improving Afghanistan -- Pakistan relations and facilitating the resumption of stalled Afghan reconciliation process.

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