Tuesday July 11, 2017
Kabul (BNA) High Peace Council (HPC)’s new chairman Mohammad Karim Khalili addressing a meeting of the peace body, urged the international community to extend more support to the Afghanistan reconciliation process.
He has said the council is working on a new strategy to facilitate government’s talks with various armed opposition groups, adding the HPC members were committed to establishing peace and ending the decades-long conflict in the country. “The purpose of talks with the Taliban is to hear their viewpoint and push the peace talks forward with groups who possess constructive national ideas. The reconciliation process does not mean surrender by any side.”
Khalili expressed concern at people’s distrust over the HPC’s performance and said the council should discharge its responsibility in line with people’s expectations. “We all know that the people of Afghanistan want peace and stability and an end to the conflict,” he added.
He said the HPC would soon launch a discussion with political parties, civil society groups, tribal people and other groups of the society to chalk out a fresh strategy for peace talks between the government and its armed opponents. He said regional and international consensus was also necessary for peace and stability in Afghanistan besides global cooperation in this regard. HPC secretary Akram Khpelwak said public opinion and their support was vital for peace and stability in the country and could help the HPC work effectively. He said under the new strategy, the HPC would highlight the causes of the war in different provinces of the county and would launch an intra-Afghan dialogue to resolve the conflict.
