Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has dampened on Friday, hopes for an early start of negotiations with the Taliban militants. The last 400 of Taliban, their release is a condition for the talks, remained in prison, announced Ghani on Friday in a speech to the Nation on the Muslim feast of sacrifice Eid al-Adha.
be convicted of crimes, for which he has no pardon power. Instead, he will convene a Loya Jirga, a great elder Council, that will decide. The Council will come “soon” together. The opening of negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban is likely to be delayed thereby; it could take weeks until the Elders come from all parts of the country arrived.
it was also Unclear whether Ghani’s political rival and current head of the High Council for national reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah, supported the step. In the context of a power-sharing agreement with Ghani after the controversial outcome of the presidential election this year, Abdullah was entrusted with the responsibility to lead the peace talks with the Taliban.
The prisoner release was part of a February agreement signed between the United States and the Taliban, which should allow for an end to the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan and a withdrawal of American troops. It stipulated that the government should leave as a sign of good will 5000 Taliban from prisons and the Taliban 1000 government employees and military personnel are free. The Taliban were release of the 1000 according to a spokesperson on Thursday. The rest of the Taliban should come free, be the insurgents within a week for talks with the leadership in Kabul ready, said spokesman Suhail Schahin.
