Contradictory statements on developments in peace talks

Following the presidential palace’s opposition to the issues agreed upon in the Doha peace talks with the Taliban, some members of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s peace negotiating team say they are not accountable to the presidency.

“Presidential palace where the Afghan government is at the helm have their own defined competencies, and based on the agreement that has been made the negotiating delegation is accountable to the high council for national reconciliation,” said Abdul Hafiz Mansour, a member of the Afghan government peace negotiating team.

These oppositions have also raised concerns among some politicians and peace activists.

“The country changes very easily from the current situation, war can be turned into peace, betrayal to honesty, negligence into awakening, vigilance, and differences to unity,” said Qazi Mohammad Amin Waqad, former deputy head of the High Peace Council.

Sources have confirmed that after about two months of deadlock between the two negotiators on the US peace agreement with the Taliban, the UN positions and the will of the people of the country, as the basis of the negotiations, have been agreed, an agreement which not approved by President Ghani and the Taliban leadership.

“As long as Presidential palace and Sepidar Palace are not part of the people in the peace process, our nation will never reach peace,” said Hafiz-Ur-Rahman Naqi, a member of Hizb-e-Islami.

The Presidential palace has not commented on its recent stance on the peace talks. But the palace has denied any progress in the peace negotiation process.