Afghan Leader Proposes Peace Road Map

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will submit a three-phase peace road map for Afghanistan during the proposed meeting in Turkey, looking for an agreement with the Taliban and ceasefire before the elections, a document seen by Reuters shows.

Washington encouraged a conference to be guided by Turkey, with U.N. Engagement, this month to complete a peace agreement between the government and the Taliban as the deadline for May 1 to withdraw all foreign troops looms.

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Ghani’s plan will be presented as a counter-proposal submitted by Washington, rejected by the Afghan government, which considered immediately compiling a new legal system for temporary administration to include Taliban representatives.

The document shows Ghani’s proposal’s “Reaching an Endstate” proposal will include, in the first phase, consensus on the political settlement and an internationally monitored ceasefire. The second phase will be holding a presidential election and formation of “Peace Government” and implementation arrangements to move towards a new political system.

The third phase will involve building “constitutional framework, refugee and development reintegration” for Afghanistan. A senior government official said Ghani had shared a road map with foreign capital. The Turkish meeting date has not yet been decided, but some sources told Reuters it could happen within two weeks. The Afghan government and several politicians say they must approve the plan with the Taliban before the meeting.

In a statement last month, the Taliban threatened to continue hostility to Afghanistan’s foreign forces if they did not meet the May deadline, which was agreed in the agreement between the rebels and the Trump administration last year. U.S. President Joe Biden said this month would be “difficult” to withdraw troops from Afghanistan on May 1 “only in terms of tactical reasons”, but he said he did not think they would still be there next year.

A senior government official said the Taliban were willing to extend May 1 deadline and would not continue the attack on foreign forces in exchange for thousands of prisoners held by the Kabul authorities. Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban in Qatar, said there was no such offer on the table.