Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani provided a positive perspective on resumption of the peace talks between the United States and the Afghan Taliban insurgent group, saying that "exploration is taking place," in an interview with The Japan News in Tokyo on Tuesday.
"It is not going to be just a simple revival," Ghani said, noting there are "fairly influential individuals ... who are not accepting peace" in the Taliban.
U.S. President Donald Trump halted peace talks with the militant group last month after it carried out a terrorist attack in Kabul that killed at least 12 people including a U.S. soldier.
On Sunday, Ghani met visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Kabul. The president said they shared a view that the "threat of terrorism is not short-term, but medium- and long-term."
The Taliban prioritize direct negotiation with the United States, refusing to include the Afghan government in the dialogue. Nevertheless, Ghani stressed that the government "will be in the driver's seat regarding the peace process," and that the process "needs to be Afghan-led and Afghan-owned."
Ghani also warned that the Taliban will be isolated if they do not become part of a political framework that includes the Afghan government.
On the possible deals with the Taliban, Ghani said that "we are willing to incorporate the Taliban" in the nation, but said no concessions would be made in a way that could "dissolve the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan."
Ghani also ruled out having a peace deal with the Taliban as long as it continues to distribute drugs to the world, calling them "one of the largest drug-dealing cartels in the world."
On the presidential election -- voting was held on Sept. 28 and the preliminary result has not yet been announced -- Ghani, one of the leading candidates, stressed that the "Taliban did not succeed in preventing the election." However, a U.N. report issued earlier this month said 28 civilians were killed and 249 injured on the polling day, mainly due to the Taliban's violence. Ghani also insisted that "the Taliban do not control a single one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan," claiming that during his first term, which began in 2014, the government "very quickly" regained provinces that had fallen to the Taliban.
Ghani visited Japan to attend the Emperor's Sokuirei-Seiden-no-Gi ceremony held on Tuesday. He appreciated assistance from Japan, the second-largest donor nation after the United States, as "on time, effective, efficient and transparent."
He showed his expectations for Japan's investments, especially in the field of mining, saying: "We are one of the largest potential producers of lithium in the world ... We want to engage in discussion with the Japanese private sector."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
