With a new round of Afghan peace talks coming together in Turkey, President Ashraf Ghani had been reported to be planning to offer a peace plan of his own. Details of that plan were made public this weekend.
Ghani’s is a three-part plan, beginning with a ceasefire and moving toward an enduring settlement and early elections. The most eye-opening part of Ghani’s proposal, however, is the middle stage.
Ghani has been an outspoken opponent of the interim government idea, but the language of his proposal hints at the formation of exactly that as part of the two sides gearing up for the election.
Ghani has some caveats, of course, saying that he and certain key deputies will remain in their jobs even if an interim government happens. Effectively, he’s offering token new positions to the Taliban in the peace process, which may or may not be enough, but is certainly a place to start negotiations.
Besides Ghani, myriad factions are intending to push proposals. This includes the US, which is hoping to make some additions to the “secret” annexes to the peace deal that would allow them to extend the US military stay in Afghanistan while getting some progress toward a ceasefire.
In practice the Taliban is Afghanistan’s govt, more than the US-installed one. When the US refuses to withdraw when promised, the Taliban will kick us out and the Afghan people will govern themselves.