Afghan gov’t prepares peace plan ahead of Istanbul meet

KABUL, Afghanistan

The Afghan government on Sunday announced that a cohesive and unified peace strategy has been finalized for the forthcoming conference in Turkey.

According to the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), the strategy is aimed at preserving democracy and fundamental rights and institutions in the country.

The council said the strategy emphasizes strong regional and global guarantees for an end to violence and war and for the implementation of the peace agreement in Afghanistan.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Amrullah Saleh told a public gathering in Kabul that an agreement on democratic values, a cease-fire and the establishment of a peace government would top the agenda of the Istanbul conference.

“The Taliban must agree to a cease-fire if they want the people to support the current peace process. It is very difficult for us [government] to make progress under threats, suicide attacks, explosions and killings," Saleh said.

On Saturday, Washington’s special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad held separate meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the HCNR, as well as other senior officials.

In his meeting with Abdullah, the US official said the world expects “Afghanistan to attend the Istanbul Conference with a uniform strategy,” the HCNR said in a separate statement.

Earlier this week, Ghani proposed the formation of a transitional government to push forward the peace process.

No date has been announced yet for the proposed Istanbul conference, but it is likely to be held later this month.

Oguzhan Ertugrul, Turkey’s ambassador to Afghanistan, has also been holding meetings with senior Afghan officials and politicians in this connection.

“Turkey will continue to contribute to efforts to achieve meaningful progress in the peace process,” the Turkish Embassy in Kabul said on Twitter on Saturday.