Hekmatyar presents 15-pt peace plan to Karza
Thursday, 25 March 2010
From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Mar 24: One of the three insurgent groups, the one led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, presented on Monday a 15 point peace plan to President Karzai in Afghanistan designed at ending hostilities in the country.
Hekmatyar's representatives met with President Karzai and other top ranking Afghan officials in the first formal contact between a major insurgent group and the Afghan government after almost two years of back channel communications which diplomats say have been supported by the United States, the New York Times reported today.
All the three insurgent groups have been fighting for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Hekmatyar's group said peace process would move forward only after a date has been fixed for the withdrawal of foreign troops. The Peace Plan, titled, National Rescue Agreement sets that day as July 2010 with withdrawal completed within six months, the NYT said. The US administration say withdrawal will be completed by July 2011.
What we want is unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops, a spokesman for the insurgents said. America say that the rebels must accept the Afghan constitution, renounce violence and break links with al-Qaeda and other mutinous groups. The group will accept the Karzai government and police, army and intelligence units taking the responsibility of the security. Pakistan supports Hekmatyar's bid for reconciliation.
NEW YORK, Mar 24: One of the three insurgent groups, the one led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, presented on Monday a 15 point peace plan to President Karzai in Afghanistan designed at ending hostilities in the country.
Hekmatyar's representatives met with President Karzai and other top ranking Afghan officials in the first formal contact between a major insurgent group and the Afghan government after almost two years of back channel communications which diplomats say have been supported by the United States, the New York Times reported today.
All the three insurgent groups have been fighting for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Hekmatyar's group said peace process would move forward only after a date has been fixed for the withdrawal of foreign troops. The Peace Plan, titled, National Rescue Agreement sets that day as July 2010 with withdrawal completed within six months, the NYT said. The US administration say withdrawal will be completed by July 2011.
What we want is unconditional withdrawal of foreign troops, a spokesman for the insurgents said. America say that the rebels must accept the Afghan constitution, renounce violence and break links with al-Qaeda and other mutinous groups. The group will accept the Karzai government and police, army and intelligence units taking the responsibility of the security. Pakistan supports Hekmatyar's bid for reconciliation.