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Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (85380)	6/5/2010 2:53:36 PM
From: FJB	Respond to of 224750

Afghanistan's unlikely peace plan: Strengthen Islamic law, free Taliban Sonia Verma Kabul — From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Friday, Jun. 04, 2010 10:31PM EDT Last updated on Saturday, Jun. 05, 2010 2:32PM EDT Afghanistan’s national peace jirga outlined a path for President Hamid Karzai to negotiate with the Taliban, but critics said it is one fraught with obstacles that threaten to throw the country back in time. The conference communiqué Friday called for the removal of senior Taliban figures from a United Nations blacklist, the release of insurgents from prison and the strengthening of Islamic law. Although the resolutions carry no legal weight, they offer a glimpse into the concessions the government and its supporters are willing to make in a bid to lure the Taliban into talks, which they believe will ultimately end the war. Some observers worried the proposed strategy set back progress made since the ousting of the Taliban in 2001, particularly around issues of women’s rights. Others said any amnesty offered to the insurgents amounted to elevating them above the law, sowing a sense of invincibility that could fuel further violence. “This nation is not prepared to go 10 years back,” said Fawzia Kofi, a member of parliament from Badakhshan province. “The delegates showed that they have already been influenced by Talibanization, making sure the insurgents’ ideology is included in these proposals. We cannot offer impunity to these people. They need to be equal before the law,” she said. She noted, however, that some of the more hard-line suggestions submitted by the jirga’s 28 committees were left out of the final statement, including controversial proposed changes to the constitution. Ending the three-day conference, an upbeat Mr. Karzai thanked the jirga’s 1,600 delegates for their work, saying the communiqué was “perfect and right.” He called on the insurgents to seize the opportunity to create peace, promising to follow up on the jirga’s resolutions. “I call on them to use this opportunity to bring stability to their country. These opportunities are few,” Mr. Karzai said. His message was aimed at the Taliban and other insurgent groups that boycotted the jirga. However, it could have equally applied to the President himself. The jirga represents a golden opportunity for the Afghan leader, who has been struggling to recapture his battered credibility. He hoped the jirga would empower him with a national mandate to kick-start the peace process and restore his legitimacy. There was seemingly unanimous agreement among delegates that talks with the Taliban are essential. The conference also said that any insurgents who want to participate in reconciliation must sever their ties with foreign terrorist groups, a reference to al-Qaeda. There was also a resolution that singled out government corruption as a concrete threat to peace, which caught some observers off guard because Mr. Karzai and his inner circle had chosen the guest list, which largely comprised his supporters. “It was interesting they mentioned the lack of good government, the land grabs and corruption,” said Mir Ahmad Joyenda, a lawmaker from Kabul. “So far the internationals have been the most critical about corruption. Now it can be said [it] is also the wish of the Afghan people.” Many analysts applauded the conciliatory spirit of the conference, even if they did not wholly agree with its final statement. “It is a cautionary, positive start,” said Janan Musazai, an Afghan analyst. “There was respect for the red lines of the constitution. The important part now is how do we move forward.” The final resolution said the government should establish a “framework for negotiations with those who are dissatisfied with the government.” It was unclear, however, what kind of a framework would emerge. Burhanuddin Rabbani, a former president of Afghanistan and a chair of the jirga, said the government would work to establish a commission that would function at a provincial and district level to implement the conference’s recommendations, but there is no timeline. Meanwhile, the delegates were urged to do their best to execute the communiqué’s resolutions upon returning to their villages. Mr. Rabbani armed them with a clear message to take home to the Taliban: “To those brothers, those Taliban. Stop fighting. Drop your weapons. Whatever your aims are, our aims are. Whatever you ask, is also our demand,” he said.

To: lorne who wrote (85380)	6/5/2010 6:55:32 PM
From: Ann Corrigan	2 Recommendations Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 224750

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