Al-Sharq, Al-Raya Praise Qatar's Continuous Efforts to Support Stability of Afghanistan

Doha, August 15 (QNA) - In their Sunday's editorials, Al-Sharq and Al-Raya newspapers valued Qatar's continued keenness to support a comprehensive political settlement for a prosperous future for the Afghan people, pointing out that these efforts, which come in cooperation with the UN and international partners, remains subject to the desire and will of the Afghan parties themselves to support the stability of the country. The two newspapers noted the steadfastness of the Qatari position regarding the establishment of peace in Afghanistan, pointing to HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani's meeting with Head of the Political Office of the Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his accompanying delegation. The paper stressed that the meeting reflected Qatar's interest in accelerating efforts to reach a comprehensive political settlement that would guarantee a prosperous future for the government and people of Afghanistan. For its part, Al-Sharq newspaper said in its editorial that HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his meeting with the Head of the Political Office of the Taliban, who discussed the latest field developments in Afghanistan in its security and political aspects, and the follow-up to the ongoing Afghan peace negotiations in Doha, called on Taliban to de-escalate and agree to a ceasefire, as part of efforts to bring peace, security and stability to Afghanistan. The newspaper expressed its hope that this meeting, which comes a few days after the expanded international meeting hosted Qatar, to mobilize international support for the political process in cooperation with the UN and international partners, will be a step towards a political settlement between the Afghan parties, in order to achieve the aspirations and hopes of the Afghan people, and avoid a civil war that threatens regional and global stability. The State of Qatar, with its continuous efforts for several years to bring peace, security and stability to Afghanistan, will spare no effort to achieve peace and to avoid any possibility of a civil war in Afghanistan or to be subject to isolation, with harsh sanctions, the price of which will be paid by the Afghan people, who have been suffering for decades from wars, Al-Sharq concluded. In its editorial Sunday, Al-Raya newspaper said that the State of Qatar has affirmed its firm position to continue its unremitting efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan through all political and diplomatic means. Qatar's firm position was reflected during the meeting of HE the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Saturday with Head of the Political Office of the Taliban Movement Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his accompanying delegation, the paper said. The State of Qatar, in cooperation with the United Nations and international partners, continues its efforts that have been ongoing for many years to establish peace, security, and stability in Afghanistan, the newspaper noted. It stressed that Qatar will not hesitate to take advantage of any opportunity that would bring about rapprochement between the Afghan parties and open channels for dialogue and negotiation to end fighting and lay the foundations of peace. Doha has an unprecedented success story that took place on its land last February 2020 with signing of a historic peace agreement between the United States of America and Taliban, the paper said, adding that the agreement stipulates mutual commitments between the two parties, most notably preventing the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies, with guarantees, enforcement mechanisms, and announcement of a timeline for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan, as well as the Taliban's pledge to hold peace talks with the Afghan government. Qatari efforts have continued by Doha hosting last week an expanded international meeting on Afghanistan, during which participants agreed on the necessity of accelerating the peace process as a very urgent and essential issue for negotiating concrete proposals from both sides, taking steps to build confidence and stop violence between the two sides, respecting international law, and not recognize any government in Afghanistan that is imposed through the use of military force, the newspaper added. At the end of its editorial, Al-Raya affirmed that Qatar's position remains firm in supporting the path of political negotiation and diplomatic solutions in order to establish peace in Afghanistan and for a prosperous future that all Afghan people deserve. (QNA)