Afghans killing Afghans at this stage makes no sense, NATO’s senior civilian representative in Afghanistan has said.
In an interview with 1TV, Stefano Pontecorvo said that a real reduction of violence is the confidence building measure needed to take intra-Afghan peace talks forward.
“At a certain point, I am very much afraid that the peace process would become unsustainable if the violence continues this way,” Pontecorvo said. “It really does not make sense to keep talking, to keep a peace process alive with these levels of violence.”
He said that the Talban should reduce drastically the violence and that the current level of violence is “the single most dangerous piece there is in this puzzle.”
The envoy said that progress is slow in Doha peace talks, but NATO is encouraged by the good atmospheres.
“I think you need patience, you need to work at it, but we are quite encouraged.”
Asked about NATO’s future support, Pontecorvo said that in a post intra-Afghan talks scenario, there would need to be a formal invitation to keep operating in Afghanistan, by the legitimate government that comes out of the talks. He said that the invitation will have to be discussed and approved by NATO.
The envoy said that NATO didn’t came to Afghanistan for a military victory, but for security and political objective. “That security and political objective will have been met if the US-Taliban agreement is carried forth in good faith.”
