Ghani emphasizes Afghan-Pakistan attempt to end feud

President Ashraf Ghani has said that Afghanistan and Pakistan are trying to end their feud and strengthen their ties.

Ghani said he was “cautiously optimistic” about improved relations with Pakistan, which he considers integral to peace efforts with the Taliban.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ve begun a process of fundamental transformation,” he told the Council on Foreign Relations in response to a question about Afghan-Pakistani ties.

President warned that the year 2015 will be a difficult year for the Afghan government.

Ghani has made rapprochement with Pakistan a key policy since being elected as Afghanistan’s second president since the US-led toppling of the Pakistan-backed Taliban regime in 2001.

While addressing an audience in New York on his maiden presidential visit to the United States, President Ghani said that stronger ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan can remove terrorist havens in both countries.

Ghani, who said both countries were working to end 13 years of hostilities, believes improved relations with Pakistan are key to denying support for Afghan Taliban insurgents.

“Without sanctuary, a long-term rebellion is impossible. When sanctuaries end, peace breaks out. That’s what happened in Central America and Latin America, that’s what has happened in Africa,” he said.

The Taliban say they will not negotiate while foreign troops remain on Afghan soil.

“Terrorists neither require passports nor recognize nationalities,” Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said. “I’m hopeful that we will have sufficient wisdom not to sink but to swim together.”

Afghan analysts praised President Ghani’s new steps in relations between the two countries and are said to consider President Ghani’s recent statements at US congress made relations stronger between Afghanistan-America.

Analysts believe that if Afghanistan does not stand by its commitments, the United States will also abandon Afghanistan forever.

By Hesamuddin Hesam