Ankara
Chair of Afghan High Peace Council and Head of Jamiat-e Islami party Salahuddin Rabbani stated that negotiations would continue with Taliban after 2014.
Reminding some foreign soldiers’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 and presidential elections to happen at the same time, Rabbani told AA in an exclusive interview that the council would proceed uninterrupted to its practices and try to lead the opponents to cease fire and enter politics.
The issue in Afghanistan would not be solved via weapons and world countries have understood it, he stated.
“Everybody has understood that ceasefire is only possible with peace and negotation. The very first thing what Taliban demands from us, is the withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghan territory. These are to be done for sure,” Rabbani said. “However, Afghan security forces and armed powers should be strenghtened. We do not want any pleas for progression of war. Therefore, our army needs to get stronger. Security forces should be on more stable bases.”
Rabbani stated that foreign soldiers serving in Afghanistan would not recede completely in 2014 and for this reason, negotiations would continue. He said, “We consider stability of foreign soldiers in our country. They ask us in each talk what we are going to do after they withdraw. Council has to work better after main recession.”
Saying that he did not agree that “Afghan community should ensure its own security by itself”, Rabbani told it was impossible to fully ensure security without developing security forces in each area and overcoming weaponry and equipment issues. He added that they needed the support of foreign soldiers and that Afghanistan had a more developing national army and security forces when compared to the past. He said, “Our community has full trust in our army.”
Negotiations are led with the opponent Afghan Talibans, Rabbani said. He emphasized that there are no meetings with Pakistani Talibans and reminded that aims and responsibility of Afghan High Peace Council concerns only the Taliban in Afghanistan. He added that they pursue negotiations only with the most effective Quetta Shura.
Highligting his massacred father Burhanuddin Rabbani’s goal to establish peace in the country, Rabbani told that he aimed to actualize these goals. “I always act with the exitement in the negotiations we hold, to achieve peace. It’s impossible to know the aim of the one, who stands in front of you,” he said. “They might want war instead of peace, but my father wanted peace and stability in Afghanistan. I am working within this framework. Investigations on my father’s martyrdom continues”.
He added that they wanted also help from Turkey for the investigation and that Pakistan is working on it, too to punish those and making them come up before the judge.
“Suicide commandos are trained by foreigners”
Rabbani emphasized that having suicide commandos within country policies could not be understood and said that Afghan High Peace Council wanted to achieve peace as soon as possible. He added, “Those who help suicide bombers and act as an accessory are foreigners and not from the country”.
Giving the example of Pakistan’s getting harmed because of these suicide bombings, Rabbani called for Pakistani help, too.
-“Pakistan’s support is important”-
Saying that Pakistan’s loyal cooperation would provide big support for the negotations, Rabbani stated that Pakistan was ready to help Afghanistan in every area. He noted, Pakistan and Afghanistan had same ideas on several subjects and that Pakistan supports the negotations.
Rabbani emphasized that Pakistan would also start negotiations with Taliban soon
Underlining that they want the opponents to enter politics and leave weapons, Rabbani said, “For the sake of Afghanistan’s future, we want them to participate in the elections. We want them even to show a candidate in the elections. We want a healthy transition of presidential elections and want democracy to be based strongly."
“We support Turkey’s solution process”
Rabbani noted their support for Turkey’s solution process and said, “Each country has different conditions […] There will be parts which we’ll take from Turkey as an example. In this issue, we have always taken support from Turkey and will continue to take”.
Rabbani thanked Turkey for building a new airport, roads, bridges and establishing schools in Afghanistan and emphasized that Turkey and Afghanistan have been friends since old times.
The Taliban, an extremist group, took control of Afghanistan's government in 1996 and ruled until the 2001 US-led invasion. Since 2010, both Afghan and US officials have been pursuing talks with members of the group for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan High Peace Council is a body of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program, appointed by Afghanistan’s current president Hamid Karzai to negotiate with Taliban in Afghanistan
