Kabul to highlight reform efforts at Geneva conference

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Afghan leaders and diplomats from more than 70 countries will gather Tuesday in Geneva to discuss the future of a nation wracked by war.

The two-day Geneva Conference on Afghanistan, co-hosted by the Afghan government and the United Nations, will also be attended by representatives of religious organizations, UN bodies and donors that announced their commitment to supporting peace, stability, reconstruction and development efforts in the country.

The Afghan people will be represented by a government delegation headed by President Ashraf Ghani, who will present a report on economic reforms and the promotion of democracy in the country. He will also hold meetings with representatives of participating countries and organizations.

Conspicuously absent, however, will be one player that is estimated to control nearly half of Afghanistan -- the Taliban.

- Stepped-up talks

Efforts have recently intensified in discussions with Taliban officials to reach a politically negotiated settlement to the war. Following a Moscow conference on Afghanistan on Nov. 9, U.S. Special Adviser to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad traveled to Qatar, where he held 10 days of marathon talks with the Taliban and then visited the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.

According to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at each of his meetings, Khalilzad stressed that all Afghans should have a voice in creating sustainable peace in Afghanistan. He said the U.S. was also ready to cooperate with all interested parties.

In Geneva, a Russian diplomat told Anadolu Agency that representatives from six countries will hold a closed-door meeting on the second day of the conference to discuss how Afghans can return to a peaceful life, this time without representatives of major Afghan opposition groups.

- Taliban disappointed

The UN Information Service in Geneva confirmed the Taliban would not be attending the conference.

“Taliban representatives will not take part. This is a conference on development to review progress made by Afghanistan in various areas,” Rheal LeBlanc, chief of its press and external relations section, said in an e-mailed reply.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, a Taliban source who wished to remain anonymous said it was not due to the Taliban’s unwillingness to attend but because its representatives had not even been invited. He appeared disappointed about missing the opportunity to contribute to the Afghan settlement at the conference.

“We were not invited, though we are a main party to the conflict,” he said.

Russian political expert Denis Korkodinov explained the lack of an invitation to the Taliban in an official capacity.

“The movement is prohibited in many countries. It is neither an international organization nor a government. Yes, they call themselves ‘the government in exile’, but it is not enough,” he said.

Military observer Viktor Litovkin also gave a reason regarding the Afghan government’s position.

“The current Afghan government is categorically against inviting the Taliban…For this meeting, the presence of the official government is much more important than that of the opposition one, even if the latter is more influential on the ground, because the government is responsible for spending $15.2 billion committed by the international community for Afghanistan in 2016,” he said.

Military expert Alexey Leonkov compared the Geneva conference on Afghanistan with the Geneva talks on Syria.

He said the UN meetings are not about achieving progress, but are more about maintaining the opportunities for peace.

“If we want to have progress on the Afghan track, we need to use the experience of Astana: find a neutral place for the negotiations, invite mediator countries respected by the conflicting sides and offer ceasefire conditions acceptable by them,” he said.

Leonkov thinks Russia, Turkey and Iran, accompanied by Pakistan, can serve as the key players in a future format of the negotiations.

“And then we will see who else can be crucially influential to join,” he added.