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Afghanistan-Taliban/USA/Analyst
Kabul, Afghanistan - Oct 14, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of pedestrians, traffic
2. SOUNDBITE(English) Ghulam Jelani Zwak, political analyst in Afghanistan:
"The United States is not ready to withdraw. And for Taliban, it's not possible to accept the presence of U.S. in Afghanistan. So it is a start, of course it's a good step, but very preliminary. I don't think that they will lead to an agreement very soon."
3. Various of traffic
4. SOUNDBITE(English) Ghulam Jelani Zwak, political analyst in Afghanistan:
"They just want to show that we're making efforts to go to peace. But the strategy of the United States is still concentration on war. They're still killing people and bombing the villages. They're making reasons for war."
5. Various of pedestrians, traffic
The United States' recent efforts at mediation talks with leaders of the Taliban and Afghan government to negotiate a peaceful end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan may only lead to very limited results, said a political analyst.
A Taliban outfit confirmed that its leaders had held talks with Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace and reconciliation, in Qatar's capital of Doha on Friday.
The Afghan-born U.S. veteran diplomat Khalilzad visited Kabul on Saturday after touring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and meeting Taliban leaders and held talks with leaders and politicians within and outside the government.
Ghulam Jelani Zwak, a political analyst in Afghanistan, said that these moves were aimed to persuade the Taliban and Afghan government to get back on the track with negotiations, but he is doubtful that they will produce the intended effect.
The analyst said that the United States has long dismissed the request of the Taliban for the withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan. Even in August 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the new strategy for Afghanistan was, "not pulling out, but digging in." Due to the lack of mutual trust, it is unlikely that the talks will eliminate the conflicts.
"The United States is not ready to withdraw. And for Taliban, it's not possible to accept the presence of U.S. in Afghanistan. So it is a start, of course it's a good step, but very preliminary. I don't think that they will lead to an agreement very soon," said Zwak.
Zwak surmised that there were two possible reasons for the U.S. to talk with the Taliban.
For 17 years, the United States has been bogged down in Afghanistan. Every year, the aid provided for Afghanistan amounts to roughly 45 billion U.S. dollars, adding a great burden on the U.S. government.
Additionally, the U.S. new strategy for Afghanistan has turned out to be an utter failure. The areas under the influence of the Afghan government represent less than 60 percent of the country. With the approach of Afghanistan's parliamentary election, the security in the country has been threatened by the Taliban’s frequent attacks.
The United States chose to hold talks at this moment to prevent the situation from escalating and demonstrate to the world that it is putting for an effort for peace in Afghanistan.
"They just want to show that we're making efforts to go to peace. But the strategy of the United States is still concentration on war. They're still killing people and bombing the villages. They're making reasons for war," said Zwak.
Afghanistan-Taliban/USA/Analyst
Dateline : Oct 14, 2018
Location : Afghanistan
Duration : 1'30
Kabul, Afghanistan - Oct 14, 2018 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of pedestrians, traffic
2. SOUNDBITE(English) Ghulam Jelani Zwak, political analyst in Afghanistan:
"The United States is not ready to withdraw. And for Taliban, it's not possible to accept the presence of U.S. in Afghanistan. So it is a start, of course it's a good step, but very preliminary. I don't think that they will lead to an agreement very soon."
3. Various of traffic
4. SOUNDBITE(English) Ghulam Jelani Zwak, political analyst in Afghanistan:
"They just want to show that we're making efforts to go to peace. But the strategy of the United States is still concentration on war. They're still killing people and bombing the villages. They're making reasons for war."
5. Various of pedestrians, traffic
The United States' recent efforts at mediation talks with leaders of the Taliban and Afghan government to negotiate a peaceful end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan may only lead to very limited results, said a political analyst.
A Taliban outfit confirmed that its leaders had held talks with Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace and reconciliation, in Qatar's capital of Doha on Friday.
The Afghan-born U.S. veteran diplomat Khalilzad visited Kabul on Saturday after touring Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and meeting Taliban leaders and held talks with leaders and politicians within and outside the government.
Ghulam Jelani Zwak, a political analyst in Afghanistan, said that these moves were aimed to persuade the Taliban and Afghan government to get back on the track with negotiations, but he is doubtful that they will produce the intended effect.
The analyst said that the United States has long dismissed the request of the Taliban for the withdrawal of the U.S. from Afghanistan. Even in August 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the new strategy for Afghanistan was, "not pulling out, but digging in." Due to the lack of mutual trust, it is unlikely that the talks will eliminate the conflicts.
"The United States is not ready to withdraw. And for Taliban, it's not possible to accept the presence of U.S. in Afghanistan. So it is a start, of course it's a good step, but very preliminary. I don't think that they will lead to an agreement very soon," said Zwak.
Zwak surmised that there were two possible reasons for the U.S. to talk with the Taliban.
For 17 years, the United States has been bogged down in Afghanistan. Every year, the aid provided for Afghanistan amounts to roughly 45 billion U.S. dollars, adding a great burden on the U.S. government.
Additionally, the U.S. new strategy for Afghanistan has turned out to be an utter failure. The areas under the influence of the Afghan government represent less than 60 percent of the country. With the approach of Afghanistan's parliamentary election, the security in the country has been threatened by the Taliban’s frequent attacks.
The United States chose to hold talks at this moment to prevent the situation from escalating and demonstrate to the world that it is putting for an effort for peace in Afghanistan.
"They just want to show that we're making efforts to go to peace. But the strategy of the United States is still concentration on war. They're still killing people and bombing the villages. They're making reasons for war," said Zwak.
ID : 8093150
Published : 2018-10-15 09:06
Last Modified : 2018-10-15 18:05:00
Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
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