Source: Washington Post
DOHA, Qatar — Organizers canceled talks between Afghan leaders and Taliban insurgents that were scheduled to begin Friday, dealing a major setback to a U.
S.-led peace process aimed at ending nearly 18 years of warfare.The first talks between the two sides were postponed Thursday, then officially called off by sponsors in the Qatari capital, amid a rash of disputes among Afghan officials, Taliban leaders and Qatari meeting hosts over the size and composition of the Afghan delegation.
There was no indication when the talks would be rescheduled, but it appeared unlikely in the immediate future. The peace process has failed to make progress in part because the Taliban had refused to meet with Afghan officials until now.
“Despite tireless and well-intentioned efforts of all parties, a shared understanding on how to achieve inclusivity couldn’t be reached,” tweeted Sultan Barakat, a scholar in Doha whose institute organized the talks. “This doesn’t reflect a lack of will to deliver #peace but clearly the moment is not yet right.”
Although no Afghans traveled here from Kabul for the canceled talks, a group of about 20 invited delegates were Afghan emigres in Europe who were already en route to Doha and arrived late Thursday. Several said Friday that they blamed the Ghani government for the collapse of the talks, but they were expected to meet privately with some Taliban representatives here on Saturday.
In Kabul, the government of President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement Friday morning that blamed the government of Qatar for not accepting a list of proposed Afghan delegates and instead proposing a list that was “not balanced” and “a disrespect to the national will of the Afghan people.”
There was no immediate comment on the cancellation from the Taliban.
Officials in Kabul had announced a final list of 250 delegates on Tuesday that included politicians and civic leaders from across Afghan society,…
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