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Afghan peace talks teams share demands that differ vastly
The Afghan Republic’s talks team and the Taliban’s team each presented their demands during discussions on Wednesday and while the republic’s team wants achievements to be preserved, the Taliban are set on an Islamic state.
This came on the fifth straight day of discussions between the two sides after last week’s breakthrough in the months-long deadlock.
Sources told Ariana News on condition of anonymity that the Republic’s team put forward 28 items and emphasized the need to preserve the achievements made over the past 19 years.
The Taliban in turn put forward 22 demands and emphasized the need for an interim government and women’s rights to be upheld in accordance with Sharia law.
The source said the requests by the Republic’s negotiators included the following:
- Declaring a lasting ceasefire without any conditions
- Preserving the Islamic Republic system
- Preserving the country’s flag
- Preserving the Afghan Constitution
- Preserving the Afghan national defense and security institutions
- Accepting all contracts and agreements that the government signed with various countries
- Disarming all Taliban fighters after a peace agreement has been signed
- Recruiting the Taliban into government structures after the completion of the peace process
- Accepting women, children, and people with disabilities’ rights as per national and international norms.
“Today both [teams of] negotiators discussed relevant issues on the agenda. Our negotiators focused on people’s demands,” said Najia Anwar, spokeswoman for the State Ministry on Peace Affairs.
The Taliban meanwhile called for the following:
- Removal of all Taliban names from blacklists
- Removal of the use of terms such as republic and democratic and for the next government to be named the Islamic government
- All educational and training institutions should operate in accordance with Sharia law
- Establishing an organization under the name of Amr-bil-Maroof to enforce Islamic law
- Establishing an interim government for between 12 and 18 months
- Both sides to keep the areas under their control currently [but local governments in Taliban areas to be handed over]
- Disarming the Taliban would be accepted once an Islamic government has been established
- Recognizing the Taliban as a shadow government until the peace process has been finalized
- Terms like war crimes and violations of human rights should be removed and the use of the words should be recognized as a crime
- Including at least 100,000 Taliban fighters into the Afghan security forces after a peace deal has been reached
- Civil society, human rights, women rights, and freedom of speech should be in accordance with Sharia law
- Establishing an Ulema council to advise the government and its decisions should be adhered to
“The Taliban and the government’s proposals should be discussed in the peace talks and I personally want a ceasefire first,” said Sima Samar, State Minister for Human Rights.
This comes after the Afghan Republic’s team and the Taliban agreed on procedural rules last week in order to take the talks forward.
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Islamic Emirate releases American prisoner Dennis Coyle
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
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UK announces additional £3 million in aid for vulnerable people in Afghanistan
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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Around 2.3 million tourists visited Afghanistan’s recreational areas during Eid: Ghufran
Khubaib Ghufran, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information and Culture, announced on Tuesday that over Eid al-Fitr holidays approximately 2.3 million domestic and foreign tourists visited the country’s recreational areas and natural attractions.
Ghufran said this level of tourist presence shows a significant increase compared to previous years and indicates growth and strengthening of the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, officials from the ministry’s departments, while emphasizing public cooperation in preserving the environment, maintaining cleanliness in public places, and protecting tourist attractions, stated that through extensive cooperation and efforts by security institutions, tourists were able to travel to different parts of the country with full confidence during the Eid holidays.
According to Ghufran, the Ministry of Information and Culture is working to develop and strengthen the tourism sector across the country and to provide more facilities and conveniences for tourists.
However, some tourists who traveled to various provinces praised the order, security, and hospitality of the people. They said that all provinces of Afghanistan have always been beautiful, but this year, with the current level of security and tourism facilities, their trips have become even more memorable.
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