Kabul Peace Discussion Among 3,200 Delegates Opens Under a Political Cloud by Pamela Constable and Sayed Salahuddin – Washington Post
More than 3,200 Afghans gathered here Monday to seek a consensus on peace talks with the Taliban, but hopes for success were dampened by the recent cancellation of first-ever talks between Afghan and insurgent representatives in Qatar, and by the refusal of numerous Afghan political figures to attend the current meeting.
President Ashraf Ghani convened the four-day consultation, known as a loya jirga, in a large tent on a university campus. In his opening speech, he instructed the delegates to “define the limits and framework” of the peace process, and he urged them to take their time. “I want a stable peace,” he said. “I am not after a hasty and temporary peace deal.”
But the president’s statesmanlike appeal contrasted with the political bickering that has led up to the meeting, in large part due to the presidential election scheduled to take place in September.
Ghani is seeking reelection to a second five-year term, and some of his rivals — including the current government’s chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah — have criticized the gathering as a campaign gimmick or a useless exercise. Numerous ethnic political leaders and former president Hamid Karzai are also boycotting it…