Newspapers: Qatar Provides Historic Opportunity for Peace in Afghanistan

Doha, July 18 (QNA) - In their editorials on Sunday, Qatari newspapers highlighted the resumption of the Afghan peace talks in Doha yesterday between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, with a high-level representation, as Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah headed the government delegation, while the Taliban delegation was headed by the movement's deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar. The newspapers affirmed the State of Qatar's keenness to continue its support for the Afghan-led peace process, in order to consolidate the gains made on the course of the Doha negotiations in cooperation with international partners with the aim of ending violence and achieving stability, comprehensive peace and development in Afghanistan. Al-Watan daily said that as the peace talks between the Afghan politicians and the representatives of the Taliban movement are going on in Doha, massive battles are taking place on the ground in conjunction with the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan after 20 years. The paper referred to HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi's assertion in his speech at the "Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities" conference taking place in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, that the State of Qatar would continue its efforts in bringing the point of view of the Afghan government and Taliban, and that promoting peace, security, and, development in Afghanistan will benefit the region and the world. The paper pointed out that HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stressed that the State of Qatar is striving to be an active partner in the efforts made to ensure that peace, security and prosperity prevail everywhere, especially in our neighborhood, and to exert all its good offices and efforts in the field of mediation to settle disputes and conflicts by peaceful means. HE also expressed aspiration that this conference will be the beginning of a new phase of cooperation between the countries of Central and South Asia, in a manner that serves the interests of peoples, meets their aspirations, and helps to establish peace and security in the region, especially in Afghanistan. In conclusion, Al-Watan said that the State of Qatar has made great efforts to advance the peace process in Afghanistan, because of its keenness to establish security and stability there, and its firm belief that peace in Afghanistan will spread an atmosphere of stability in the entire region. For its part, Al-Sharq stressed in its editorial today that the resumption of the Afghan peace talks in Doha yesterday between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, with a high-level representation reflects the will to achieve positive results. This high-level representation from the two delegations, the paper said, reflects the two parties' desire to work towards ending the war and achieving a comprehensive political settlement. The paper pointed out that a spirit of responsibility and hope was present during the talks, as the two sides are looking forwards to achieve a fundamental breakthrough by making all possible efforts to reach a political solution that will put Afghanistan on the path to stability. The Qatari daily noted that the State of Qatar, with its international and regional partners, has made great efforts and led intensive contacts, to give a strong impetus to the negotiations between representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban movement to shape the future of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces, by holding an exceptional round that provides a historic opportunity for the Afghan parties to achieve the agreement that the Afghan people and the international community aspire to. The paper stressed that there are several important factors that help achieve positive results in this round, foremost of which is the parties' awareness of the importance of the Doha negotiations to reach a political solution and that they represent the only way to end the suffering of the Afghan people, in addition to the existence of an international and internal desire for the necessity of peace for a unified, stable and prosperous Afghan state. Al-Sharq concluded by saying that ending the human tragedy and the loss of lives should guide the negotiations, and the voice of the Afghan people and their aspirations for peace, stability and development should be present in the talks. In its editorial, The Peninsula newspaper said that along the developments Afghanistan is witnessing, Afghan parties have come back to Doha which as usual is sparing no effort to achieve peace and stability not only in Afghanistan but in many countries experiencing armed conflicts that have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, uprooted thousands of people and caused destruction. For decades, the State of Qatar has shouldered an unparalleled diplomatic and humanitarian burden of ending most dangerous regional conflicts and it has proven to be one of the most influential countries in its diplomatic endeavors to achieve peace and end armed conflicts through mediation, the paper said, pointing out that the mediation experience between the United States and the Taliban is one of the most difficult challenges in which Qatari diplomacy has succeeded with the two parties striking an agreement in Doha that resulted in the recent withdrawal of the US led coalition forces from Afghanistan. Qatar's efforts is aimed at consolidating the gains made on the course of the Doha negotiations in cooperation with international partners with the aim of ending violence and achieving stability, comprehensive peace and development in Afghanistan, the paper added. The paper also referred to HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi's affirmation in his speech at the "Central and South Asia Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities" Conference taking place in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, that the State of Qatar would continue its efforts in bringing the point of view of the Afghan government and Taliban, and that promoting peace, security, and, development in Afghanistan will benefit the region and the world expressing Qatars appreciation to the important role Uzbekistan plays in development in Afghanistan, which includes bolstering strategic roads. The State of Qatar would continue to contribute to regional and global peace, as its efforts have borne fruit over the past years in reaching a peace agreement in Afghanistan, and it continues its efforts, in cooperation with international partners, including the United Nations, to facilitate a comprehensive peace agreement that restores peace and stability in Afghanistan, The Peninsula concluded. (QNA)