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| Taliban told to distance itself from al-Qaida before it opens Qatar office | Taliban told to distance itself from al-Qaida before it opens Qatar office |
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| The Taliban has been told to issue a declaration distancing itself from al-Qaida and committing itself to peace talks before it can open a political office in Qatar, according to diplomatic sources. | The Taliban has been told to issue a declaration distancing itself from al-Qaida and committing itself to peace talks before it can open a political office in Qatar, according to diplomatic sources. |
| The conditions have been laid down by the Qatari government with the backing of Kabul and the US. They would involve making an unambiguous public break with global jihadism and promising to use the office in the capital city of Doha as a base for negotiations with the US and the Afghan government, rather than as the seat of a government in exile or for fundraising. | The conditions have been laid down by the Qatari government with the backing of Kabul and the US. They would involve making an unambiguous public break with global jihadism and promising to use the office in the capital city of Doha as a base for negotiations with the US and the Afghan government, rather than as the seat of a government in exile or for fundraising. |
| At a three-way meeting outside Brussels last week – attended by Afghan president Hamid Karzai – the US secretary of state, John Kerry, asked Pakistan's army commander, General Ashfaq Kayani, to demonstrate his stated support for peace talks by putting pressure on the Pakistan-based Taliban to make the declaration. | At a three-way meeting outside Brussels last week – attended by Afghan president Hamid Karzai – the US secretary of state, John Kerry, asked Pakistan's army commander, General Ashfaq Kayani, to demonstrate his stated support for peace talks by putting pressure on the Pakistan-based Taliban to make the declaration. |
| David Cameron made the same appeal to Kayani at Chequers in February, hoping to build on the general's public statements that Pakistan saw the continuing insurgency not as a hedge against Indian influence, but as a direct threat to its own national interests. | David Cameron made the same appeal to Kayani at Chequers in February, hoping to build on the general's public statements that Pakistan saw the continuing insurgency not as a hedge against Indian influence, but as a direct threat to its own national interests. |
| But the Pakistani delegation told British officials that Islamabad's influence over the Taliban was far from absolute. The government is said to fear an outcome in which the Taliban fragments, with moderate elements returning to Afghanistan and extremists staying behind in Pakistan. | But the Pakistani delegation told British officials that Islamabad's influence over the Taliban was far from absolute. The government is said to fear an outcome in which the Taliban fragments, with moderate elements returning to Afghanistan and extremists staying behind in Pakistan. |
| The Taliban sent representatives to Doha last year with the aim of pursuing talks with the US, but the peace process stalled over a failure to agree terms for the release of five Afghan insurgent commanders held at Guantánamo Bay. | The Taliban sent representatives to Doha last year with the aim of pursuing talks with the US, but the peace process stalled over a failure to agree terms for the release of five Afghan insurgent commanders held at Guantánamo Bay. |
| President Barack Obama's restated commitment this week to close the prison camp has revived hopes that releases could be back on the table, but it is far from clear whether the Taliban would accept conditions it rejected last year, including the pledge that the prisoners released would stay in Doha, under Qatari supervision. | President Barack Obama's restated commitment this week to close the prison camp has revived hopes that releases could be back on the table, but it is far from clear whether the Taliban would accept conditions it rejected last year, including the pledge that the prisoners released would stay in Doha, under Qatari supervision. |
| Michael Semple, a former EU envoy in Afghanistan with long experience of dialogue with the Taliban, said: "The consequence of Taliban grandstanding has been to leave their comrades in Guantánamo for another year. Ultimately, Taliban supporters will have to make a decision whether they are ready to engage in a political track or not." | Michael Semple, a former EU envoy in Afghanistan with long experience of dialogue with the Taliban, said: "The consequence of Taliban grandstanding has been to leave their comrades in Guantánamo for another year. Ultimately, Taliban supporters will have to make a decision whether they are ready to engage in a political track or not." |
| Semple, now at the Carr Centre for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, pointed out that the start of a new fighting season in Afghanistan illustrated the fact that there were still powerful voices in the Taliban opposed to talks, either because they still believed a military victory was possible once Nato withdraws combat troops by the end of next year or because they thought conditions would be more favourable for their bargaining position next year. "The ball is now in the Taliban court on whether to pursue a political process," he said. | Semple, now at the Carr Centre for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School, pointed out that the start of a new fighting season in Afghanistan illustrated the fact that there were still powerful voices in the Taliban opposed to talks, either because they still believed a military victory was possible once Nato withdraws combat troops by the end of next year or because they thought conditions would be more favourable for their bargaining position next year. "The ball is now in the Taliban court on whether to pursue a political process," he said. |
| "If they decide not to, the onus will be on them to explain it to the young men who risk getting blown up in the new fighting season. The excuse before was they were fighting to end foreign occupation. Now they are being told to risk their lives so their leaders can become ministers.". | "If they decide not to, the onus will be on them to explain it to the young men who risk getting blown up in the new fighting season. The excuse before was they were fighting to end foreign occupation. Now they are being told to risk their lives so their leaders can become ministers.". |
| However, there are signs the Taliban leadership remains interested in keeping the dialogue going. It sent two senior representatives to off-the-record international meetings at Chantilly, outside Paris. The chief delegate at the latest such gathering in December, Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar, began the meeting by publicly insisting his movement would not negotiate with the Karzai government, which it portrays as a western puppet – but he did speak informally in Chantilly to Massoom Stanekzai, appointed by Karzai as the head of the secretariat of a council to pursue talks. | However, there are signs the Taliban leadership remains interested in keeping the dialogue going. It sent two senior representatives to off-the-record international meetings at Chantilly, outside Paris. The chief delegate at the latest such gathering in December, Maulvi Shahabuddin Dilawar, began the meeting by publicly insisting his movement would not negotiate with the Karzai government, which it portrays as a western puppet – but he did speak informally in Chantilly to Massoom Stanekzai, appointed by Karzai as the head of the secretariat of a council to pursue talks. |
| Official Taliban statements now accept girls' rights to education and women's right to work. Furthermore, diplomats say Tayyab Agha, a Mullah Omar confidant who took part in exploratory talks with American officials last year, has remained in Doha as part of a Taliban negotiating team, despite reports he had been forced out by Taliban hawks for failing to secure the release of the Guantánamo five. | Official Taliban statements now accept girls' rights to education and women's right to work. Furthermore, diplomats say Tayyab Agha, a Mullah Omar confidant who took part in exploratory talks with American officials last year, has remained in Doha as part of a Taliban negotiating team, despite reports he had been forced out by Taliban hawks for failing to secure the release of the Guantánamo five. |
| Alex Strick van Linschoten, the co-author of several books on the Taliban, said: "Even if nothing concrete comes out of these talks, it's still immensely valuable to keep up this regular interaction and have an open line of communication." | Alex Strick van Linschoten, the co-author of several books on the Taliban, said: "Even if nothing concrete comes out of these talks, it's still immensely valuable to keep up this regular interaction and have an open line of communication." |
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