The Afghan government and the Taliban conducted Saturday, September 12 in Qatar, in the presence of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a first day of historic peace negotiations which promises to be laborious because of deep differences.
Read also: Afghanistan: peace talks will be able to begin
From the inaugural ceremony in Doha, Afghan government negotiator Abdullah Abdullah presented Kabul's main request: a "
humanitarian ceasefire
".
A measure that the insurgents are wary of, fearing to lose their main asset at the negotiating table.
"
Our country will remember this day as that of the end of the war and the suffering of our people
", hoped the former chief executive.
The European Union has also called for an “
immediate
” end to the fighting.
In a later interview with AFP, he said it was "
possible
" for the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire in exchange for another operation to release prisoners.
“
It will be up to the negotiating team to find the elements that can help us seize the opportunity,
” he noted.
Some 5,000 insurgents have already been released by Kabul against a thousand members of the Afghan forces as part of an exchange provided for in an American-Taliban agreement signed in February in Doha.
The American envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, rather reserved at first on the possibility of a ceasefire, was more optimistic at the end of the day.
"
The hope is (...) that there will be an immediate reduction in violence, a ceasefire, or a discussion of a ceasefire, (and) that there will ultimately be an agreement on a political roadmap, but also on a permanent ceasefire
, ”he indicated.
These negotiations, delayed by six months due to deep disagreements over the exchange of 5,000 prisoners, began the day after the 19th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to the international intervention led by the United States after the Taliban in power (1996-2001).
Both camps must find a way "
to move the country forward (...) and to meet the demands of the Afghans: a country reconciled with a government that reflects a nation that is not at war
", said Pompeo, who left Doha in the afternoon.
In Iran, a neighboring country of Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministry welcomed the start of these negotiations: "
Dialogue and negotiations
" are the solutions to Afghanistan's problems, he tweeted, calling for departure foreign troops.
Discussions are taking place in the luxury hotel that hosted the signing of the historic agreement between Washington and the Taliban in February, which paved the way for talks.
This text confirmed the departure of foreign forces from Afghanistan by mid-2021 in exchange for vague Taliban guarantees, including the holding of this "
inter-Afghan dialogue
".
The negotiations involve many stakeholders, such as the UN or NATO.
IBRAHEEM AL OMARI / REUTERS
Irreconcilable objectives
This withdrawal should be completed "
by the end of April
", observed Mr. Khalilzad, stressing that 4,500 American soldiers should still be stationed in Afghanistan at the end of November, against 8,600 currently.
US President Donald Trump, whose reelection in November appears far from certain, is determined to end the longest war in US history.
But a rapid settlement of the conflict seems unlikely and the outcome of the negotiations highly uncertain.
The first meeting was "
very positive
", however noted Habiba Sarabi, one of four women out of 21 government negotiators.
The Taliban “
were better disposed than in previous meetings.
We are building trust,
”she said to AFP.
The rebels announced the release of 22 Afghan soldiers "
in a gesture of good will
" during the talks, according to their spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
The Taliban, who do not recognize the government in Kabul, want Afghanistan to be governed by an "
Islamic system
" where the law is dictated by a rigorous Islam, recalled their chief negotiator Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The government of President Ashraf Ghani insists on maintaining the young republic and its Constitution, which enshrined many rights, in particular to women who would be the big losers if a return to practices prevailed under the yoke of the Taliban.
The Afghan conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, including 2,400 American soldiers, and has driven millions to flee.
It cost Washington more than a trillion dollars.
Many Afghans fear the return to power - partial or total of the Taliban, in a position of strength in these negotiations after their agreement with the United States and who already control half of the Afghan territory.