Afghanistan future cannot be decided outside, President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday, amid talks between the United States and the Taliban in Qatar.
Speaking after Eid al-Adha prayers in the presidential palace, Ghani said emphasized that the upcoming presidential election, due to be held next month, was essential so that Afghanistan’s leader will have powerful mandate to make “hard decisions” and implement them.
“Our future cannot be decided outside, whether in the capital cities of our friends, nemeses or neighbours. The fate of Afghanistan will be decided here in this homeland,” Ghani said. “We don’t want anyone to intervene in our affairs.”
The president said that a government whose term is ending cannot make hard decisions.
“”Can a weak government make peace?,” Ghani said.
The US and the Taliban have held multiple rounds of talks and appear to be close to signing an agreement.
The talks have focused on Taliban’s counter-terrorism assurances, foreign troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan talks and ceasefire.
The Taliban have met Afghan politicians outside the government, but have so far refused to negotiate with the Afghan government in their official capacity.
During his speech, Ghani called on political figures to unite.
“Peace is the desire of each Afghan and peace will come, there shouldn’t be any doubt about it,” he said. “But we want a peace in which each Afghan has dignity. We don’t want a peace in which Afghans wouldn’t have dignity. We don’t want a peace that would cause people to leave their country. We don’t want brain drain and we don’t want investment drain.”
“Afghans would never move backward,” the president said.
