Karzai told officials of 70 countries and international groups that he is seeking the mediation of
to try to negotiate peace with the leaders of the militants that his
government drove from power nine years ago. He said he will convene a
“grand peace jirga” of prominent Afghans in the next few weeks to
debate and lend legitimacy to the peace effort.
“We must reach out to all of our countrymen, especially our disenchanted brothers, who are not part of
or other terrorist networks, (and) who accept the Afghan constitution,”
Karzai told the group, which had gathered to discuss efforts to wind
down the war.
Karzai has mentioned his interests in such
deal-making before, but gave it new prominence in his agenda as he
listed his plans for strengthening his battered country’s security,
government and economy. Some officials attending the meeting said the
idea has found a new receptivity among leaders of countries involved in
the international coalition in Afghan.
However, the idea of making peace with an opponent
that has killed thousands of Western troops remains highly sensitive
with Americans and other countries that have sent forces, and Karzai’s
initiative is a delicate issue with the Obama administration.
Secretary of State
supports a new international effort at “reintegration” — winning over
lower level fighters by offering financial and other incentives. But
she pointedly said nothing about “reconciliation” — peace talks with
the insurgent leadership.
Yet, in a news conference, she registered no objection to the idea of
“You don’t make peace with your friends,” she told
reporters. “You have to be willing to engage with your enemies.” And
while U.S. officials insist that they are not pursuing peace with the
leadership, privately some U.S. officials are open to deal-making, at
least with
key conditions. These include renouncing violence, following the Afghan
constitution, and — perhaps most important — agreeing not to help the
Qaida militants whose presence in
In his speech, Karzai called for the creation of a new peacemaking organization, to be called the
Reconciliation and Reintegration. He said the jirga, a traditional
Afghan public meeting, would be convened once the body was organized.
He said that he hoped the King Abdullah of
would “kindly play a prominent role to guide and assist the peace
process.” And he said the government would ask all its neighbors,
“particularly
Karzai previously has asked for peacemaking help
from the Saudis, who may be a logical intermediary because, among other
things, they were one of only three governments that recognized the
support for the idea could be crucial as well, in part because some
parts of the Pakistani government have quietly supported and funded the
Afghan Taliban for years.
—
(c) 2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
