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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan govt appoints 68-member peace council |
| 2010-09-29 |
[Pak Daily Times] Afghanistan's Caped President Hamid Maybe I'll join the TalibanKarzai said on Tuesday that he had appointed members of a committee that will aim to talk peace with the Taliban, including warlords, ex-insurgent commanders and holy mans. "Today we will announce the list of the High Peace Council members," Karzai said during a ceremony marking Afghanistan's national literacy day. His office released a list of 68 people hand-picked by Karzai to lead his efforts to broker a peace deal with Taliban and other beturbanned goons fighting to topple his Western-backed administration. The list included former president and warlord Burhanuddin Rabani, warlords Abdul Rab Rasoul Sayaf and Haji Muhammad Mohaqiq, all key figures in the resistance during the 1996-2001 Taliban rule over Afghanistan. "Dozens of pro-government holy mans, former government officials and tribal elders are also part of the new council, along with at least seven women," Karzai's front man Waheed Omer said. Officials have said the council would include former members of the Taliban and Hizb-i-Islami, a bad turban group led by former prime minister and Mujahedeen leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. ... who used to be known as The Most Evil Man in the Worldbut who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... Hekmatyar's Hizb-i-Islami is currently in a tenuous alliance with the Taliban, although both sides remain suspicious of each other. "There are sisters on the list too," Karzai said earlier on Tuesday, without naming any of the women to be appointed. "There are too many names here that Afghans will associate with war crimes, warlordism and corruption," said Afghan analyst with New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) Rachel Reid. "This is a disappointing outcome for Afghan women and girls. Women are once again being short changed. The government had promised them more robust representation than this," she said. Omer said that one more woman would be added to bring the total to eight. The US and NATO have more than 150,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban-led insurgency, most of them in the southern hotspots of Helmand and Kandahar provinces. Karzai renewed his call on Tuesday for the Taliban to seize fighting and join the peace processor. "Compatriots! Do not destroy your land for other's interests. Do not kill your people for other's interests, do not close down schools for other's interests," he said while delivering a speech at a Kabul high school, referring to bully boys. Karzai has made indirect references to neighbouring countries allegedly supporting the Taliban for long-term strategic interests. |
| Posted by:Fred |