News Analysis: Embracing peace in Afghanistan through talks requires more time than expected

The peace talks began between Afghan government and the radical Islamic party the Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan led by Gulbudin Hekmatyar some three months ago has reportedly broken down after the later according to media reports put new conditions including the demand of foreign forces pullout from the foreign-aid depending country.

Months earlier, the government peace talks with the adamant Taliban outfit backed by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States of America, had been stalled due to Taliban refusal to sit on negotiating table with Afghan government.

Although the government's desperate efforts to bring militant groups into political mainstream and bolster the national reconciliation process have not delivered, political experts believe that convincing warring sides to settle differences through talks need more time than expected.

Taliban, Hizb-e-Islami or any other armed group fighting the government to regain power, according to Afghan political observers, has no win in war except joining peace talks and find negotiated settlement to the country's lingering crisis.

"We reached agreement with Hekmatyar-led Islamic party after almost three months of tough talks and I am hopeful to finalize the talks as soon as better," a member of the government-backed peace body the High Peace Council (HPC), Mawlawi Abdul Khabir Aqchon told Xinhua.

Aqchon, who is member of the negotiating team with Hekmatyar party, looked with optimism towards the peace talks amid reports on breaking the dialogue by the later.

"Peace talks with Hekmatyar party have neither been broken nor suspended," Aqchon attested, adding the chief negotiator of Hekmatyar party delegation Amin Karim would soon arrive to Kabul to overcome the challenges.

Earlier the talks with Taliban militants have hit snag as the stubborn armed group like past years has conditioned any talks with the government to the withdrawal of foreign forces from the conflict-plagued Afghanistan, a precondition unacceptable to Afghan government, which is largely depending on foreign aid.

The general perception among Afghans including the analysts is that the insurgency-plagued Afghanistan needs continued support of international community until it stands on its feet to bear the expenses of its national security forces and fix its annual budget through domestic revenue, which takes several more years.

Taliban, Hizb-e-Islami or any other armed opposition group, according to Afghan observers, won't join peace talks until and unless their financial resources are chocked out and their sanctuaries are destroyed outside Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, political expert and deputy to High Peace Council, Ataurahman Salim who had experiences of talks with the Taliban outfit in the past, said recently that the Taliban militants had divided into several small groups and the peace body has not approached them.

However, Salim was hopeful that the talks would eventually yield expected results. Endit