Political parties to present united front at Istanbul Summit

The Afghan Political Parties Committee said Saturday it would present a separate peace plan at the Istanbul summit on the Afghan peace process, which is due to be held next week in Turkey.

The committee includes major Afghan political parties such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar-led Hizb-e-Islami; Hizb-e-Wahdad Islami led by Former Vice President Mohammad Karimi Khalili; Hizb-e-Wahdad led by Mohammad Mohaqiq; Hizb-e-Jamiat Islami led by Salahuddin Rabbani; Junbish-i-Milli led by Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum; Hezb-e-Mahaz-e-Mili Islami-e-Afghanistan led by Sayed Hamed Gailani, and Afghan Millat Party led by Anwar al-Haq Ahadi.

Mohammad Homayoun Jarir, a member of Hizb-e-Islami, stated that the parties, as government opposition, would share a joint plan for Afghan peace at the Istanbul conference.

“We have made a separate plan for the parties committee. We will participate in the summit as the opposition. So far we (Hizb-e-Islami party) have not handed over any plan to the High Council for National Reconciliation,” Jarir said.

Meanwhile, Mahiuddin Mehdi, a member of Jamiat Islami party, called on the participants to discuss a federal system for Afghanistan.

“As far as we know, a Presidential Structure has not yielded any results in Afghanistan, and we must terminate the centralized system and reach a result over a decentralized system (federalism),” Mehdi said.

This comes as the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul for talks with government leaders, ahead of the Istanbul summit.

According to a source, Khalilzad will discuss the latest developments around the peace process with high-ranking leaders and the peace proposal expected to be shared by the Afghan Republic at the Turkey conference.

Khalilzad is also expected to meet with President Ashraf Ghani.

The US-proposed and UN-led summit will see Afghan government leaders, politicians, and Taliban representatives, along with international stakeholders discuss a roadmap to a political settlement in the country.

No official date has been announced for the summit but some sources have said it could start on April 16.

Ghani, Abdullah, and a number of politicians have meanwhile been working on a peace proposal to be presented at the summit.
Over the past week, the HCNR’s leadership committee worked to combine proposals from various entities so that a single plan can be presented in Istanbul.

In an interview with the BBC on Thursday, First Vice President Amrullah Saleh confirmed the Afghan Republic will present a single plan at the summit.

Saleh said the Republic’s plan, which includes early elections, stipulates that incumbent president Ashraf Ghani will not run for the presidency.

Saleh said the Afghan government also wants regional and international guarantees for peace and assurances that no deals are made that give one group all the power.

Saleh said the Republic’s peace plan is comprehensive.