US Secretary of State pens letter to Ghani as ‘transitional gov’t’ is proposed
A U.S draft plan for the transitional government and permanent cease-fire was reported by media on Sunday.
According to the plan Islam considered to be the official religion of Afghanistan and all citizens will be granted immunity as Afghanistan is common to all ethnicities and religions.
In the first phase at the end of the Transitional Period, the President of Afghanistan will be chosen through an election.
The key points in the plan consists of three main features:
- Executive administration including a president, ministers, and independent directorates
- The legislature that includes Senate and Parliament and Taliban will also be given a part in it.
- The judiciary in which includes the Independent High Council of Islamic Jurisprudence and the Commission for Drafting a New Constitution.
The council will be responsible to prepare Islamic guidance for social and cultural affairs.
The High Council of Islamic Jurisprudence will have 15 members 7 from the Taliban side and 7 others from the government and one another individual will be chosen by the government’s president.
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S special envoy also handed over the plan to the Taliban in Qatar, Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said the plan was being reviewed by the group’s leadership in Qatar and a final decision is yet to be made in this matter.
According to Naeem, the drafted plan includes Turkey summit and ceasefire, and that the Taliban has not yet taken a clear position based on the proposed plan.
The draft has also been given to the Afghan government, Afghan officials told the media that it needs serious and careful consideration.
Hamdullah Mohib, National Security Advisor has reported said the plan handed over to everyone is not an official US government’s scheme for the country.
The plan is aimed at sharing power to find a solution to the current security issues, Mohib said in a press conference.
Mohib said the “negotiations with the Taliban alone will not bring lasting peace, it results in a temporary peace”, adding that “if the war in Afghanistan had been a civil war, it would not have been so difficult to end, but now the dimensions of the war are beyond Afghanistan’s borders” some nations persuade and promotes the conflict in the country.
This comes as Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State in a leaked letter to President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, Head of High Council for National Reconciliation suggested the Afghan government for accelerating the peace process.
In the first suggested point Blink said the UN should convene a foreign ministers meeting and envoys from the US, India, China, Iran, and Pakistan for discussing a unified approach in supporting the Afghan peace process.
Second is that Khalilzad US envoy should share the US planned political structure for Afghanistan and discuss accelerating peace talks and ceasefire with President Ghani and The Taliban, he wrote “These proposals reflect some of the ideas included in the roadmap for the peace process,” and elaborated that “In sharing these documents, we do not intend to dictate terms to the parties…. Rather the documents will enable the Islamic Republic and the Taliban to move urgently to the tasks of developing a) the foundational principles that will guide Afghanistan’s future constitutional and governing arrangements b) a roadmap to a new, inclusive government and c) the terms of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire”.
The third suggestion is that Turkey will host a senior-level meeting of both sides in the coming weeks to finalize a peace agreement, Blinken also urged Ghani and his authoritative designees to attend the upcoming meeting.
Blinken finally said that a revised proposal for a 90-day violence reduction has been made “which is intended to prevent a spring offensive by the Taliban and to coincide with our diplomatic efforts to support a political settlement between the two parties”, President Ghani is asked to positively consider the proposal for the reduction in violence.
“I must also make clear to you Mr. President, that as our policy process continues in Washington, The United States has not ruled out any option. We are considering the full withdrawal of our forces by May 1st, as we consider other options,” Blinken indicated in the letter adding that even with continuation of US financial assistance to Afghanistan’s defense forces, following the withdrawal the security situation could “worsen and that the Taliban could make rapid territorial gains”.
Blinken shared this as so President Ghani understands the urgency of his tone “regarding the collective work outlined in this letter.”
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