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Taliban Rejects Afghan Team for Peace Talks

Ayaz Gul

   The Taliban have refused to engage in talks with a team of negotiators
   announced by the Afghan government, saying the move violates the
   insurgent group's peace-building pact with the United States.

   The insurgent refusal came on a day when Taliban fighters unleashed a
   new wave of attacks against government forces in northern Afghanistan
   and overran a district.

   Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government on Thursday announced a
   21-member "inclusive" team to negotiate a sustainable peace and power
   sharing with the Taliban.

   U.S. special representative Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated and signed
   the deal with the Taliban on February 29, also hailed the proposed
   negotiating team as a "meaningful step," saying it moved the parties
   "significantly closer" to intra-Afghan negotiations.

   But chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Saturday dismissed
   the team, insisting it lacked representation of all Afghans. He said in
   a statement the Taliban has long maintained the government can
   participate in intra-Afghan negotiations only as a group like other
   factions in the country.

   "But as the team is announced by the Kabul administration, it thus
   violates our principled policy and the agreement concluded with
   America," Mujahid insisted.

   The Taliban denounces the government as illegitimate and an American
   puppet.

   Mujahid alleged Kabul's move was meant to "monopolize" the issues and
   create "impediments" on the way to intra-Afghan negotiations.

   "We shall only sit for talks with a negotiation team that conforms with
   our agreements and is constituted in accordance with the laid-out
   principles," Mujahid said.

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