Contacts between the Obama administration and the Afghan Taliban, who were ousted from power by the U.S. military in late 2001, have been secret and limited to preliminary discussions between a few representatives over whether peace talks were even feasible.
The Taliban’s announcement yesterday that it had negotiated to open a liaison office in the Persian Gulf nation may prove to be a watershed because it is the first time the militant group is publicly acknowledging it wants to talk to the US and is offering a pathway to do so.
“This is a major political step by the Taliban” that will engender resistance from its own hardliners, Vali Nasr, a former senior adviser to the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said in an interview. “If the office materializes, it is a big deal.”
“It doesn’t mean things are going to be solved, but it means they’re coming out of the closet with negotiations,” he said. “It’s going from talking about talks to actually talking.”
According to one analyst in the region, while this may not be the end for violence in the region, for the US side, “it would be foolhardy” not to pursue peace talks, however elusive a deal may now seem.
(아주경제 앤드류 이 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com