KABUL: Afghanistan hopes Russia can press Taliban insurgents into holding peace talks with the government, Afghanistan’s top security official said on Wednesday after he met Russia’s ambassador in Kabul. The Taliban, fighting to oust US and other foreign forces and defeat Afghanistan’s Western-backed government, plan to take part in talks on Afghan peace in Moscow on September 4, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Hanif Atmar, told Russia’s ambassador that Afghanistan appreciated Russia’s support for the peace process and called upon it “to put pressure on Taliban insurgents to begin negotiations with the Afghan government”, Atmar’s office said.
The Taliban this week rejected a government offer of a three-month ceasefire and said they would press on with their war, two insurgent commanders said, after a series of militant attacks in which hundreds of people have been killed.
Russian ambassador Alexander Mantytski, said his country was ready to help Afghanistan make “the peace process a success”, Atmar’s office said yesterday.
According to a senior diplomat in Kabul, Moscow in recent months has stepped up direct contacts with the Taliban, which is formally banned in Russia.
Russia has invited 12 countries, including the United States, to the Moscow talks next month but the United States has declined the invitation. Russia’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday it regretted the US decision.
Nearly 40 years have passed since Moscow sent its troops into Afghanistan, beginning a bloody decade-long occupation and factional conflict which is still going on.
This year, Russia rejected an accusation by Nato’s top commander in Afghanistan that it had been supporting and even supplying weapons to the Taliban.
A Western diplomat in Kabul said Russia was seeking to increase its influence and improve its image in Afghanistan by inviting Taliban leaders for talks.
The Taliban have yet to announce if they would attend the Moscow talks.
Meanwhile, a ban on dozens of Afghan strongmen and lawmakers from running for parliament because of suspected links to illegal armed groups has spurred threats to disrupt a general election already at risk from worsening security.
The October polls, seen as an important test of Afghanistan’s democratic legitimacy and a dry run for a presidential election next year, have been repeatedly delayed because of organisational problems.
“There will be riots, protests and road-blockages if they don’t accept me,” said Assadullah Sharifi, a lawmaker who is among 35 people the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has barred from standing.
“I will do whatever it takes to contest elections,” said Sharifi, who is close to the powerful former governor of the northern province of Balkh, Atta Mohammad Noor.
Afghanistan has for generations been plagued by the problem of powerful provincial figures defying central authority, taxing whatever business they can and maintaining private forces.
The United Nations, which is overseeing the election, has welcomed the decision to vet candidates in preparation for the October 20 election. — Agencies
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