Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai yesterday invited the Taliban to join in a peace process backed by the international community, an unusual direct reference to the insurgents who have stepped up attacks in an attempt to bring down his month-old government.
Speaking at a conference on Afghan peace and reconstruction in Beijing, Ahmadzai made no specific proposals and indicated government forces would not back away from the fight.
However, his mention of the Taliban by name marked a departure from his usual public references to them as “political opponents.”
“Peace is our highest priority. We invite the political opposition, particularly the Taliban, to join and enter Afghan dialogue, and ask all of our international partners to support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process,” Ahmadzai said.
Ahmadzai’s attitude toward the Taliban has been a departure from that of his predecessor, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who habitually referred to the insurgents as his “brothers” and castigated the US for its military presence in Afghanistan.
In his address to the gathering, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) said China has faith in Afghanistan’s ability to solve its own problems, but that its neighbors should help create a peaceful environment without interfering in its internal affairs.
China, the region’s economic powerhouse, on Wednesday said it would provide US$330 million in grants to Afghanistan along with professional training and scholarships for 3,500 Afghans over the next five years.
Beijing is keen to help develop Afghanistan’s estimated US$3 trillion in mineral wealth and wants a strong, stable government in Kabul to prevent unrest spilling over into its restive northwestern region of Xinjiang, where radicals among the native Uighur population have launched a series of attacks in recent months.
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