Doha / Information Office / July 07

The two-day Intra-Afghan peace talks started here on Sunday under Qatari-German auspices, bringing together dozens of high-profile Afghan politicians and civil society activists, including women, representing many different parties in Afghanistan as part of efforts to support the peace process in Afghanistan.

In his address at the opening of the talks, German envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Markus Butzel expressed gratitude to all the Afghan factions involved in this Intra-Afghan dialogue, which is in the interest of efforts to reduce the suffering faced by the Afghan people.

He stated that Germany and the State of Qatar had taken the initiative to conduct such a dialogue because they wished to do their part to open the way for peace in Afghanistan. The ongoing talks between the United States and the Taliban provided a historic opportunity for the Intra-Afghan dialogue, which is hoped to turn into constructive negotiations, Butzel said, stressing that the future of Afghanistan can not be imposed from outside but can only be achieved by the Afghans themselves.

He pointed out that the next two days will provide the opportunity to build a common understanding and to identify the issues to be resolved and open the way to engage in joint Afghan negotiations, hoping to reach common understandings during the Intra-Afghan dialogue.

The German envoy pointed out that the Intra-Afghan dialogue table brings together the brightest minds that represent a large proportion of the Afghan people, describing it as an opportunity and a special responsibility that comes in the search for ways that contribute to turning the conflict and fighting into a peaceful discussion, saying that history will remember those who were able to put their differences aside for the benefit of their country.

He stressed the right of the Afghan people to establish a peace that protects the rights of all its groups, especially women and children, and also achieves more stability in the world, noting that Germany is one of the largest donors to Afghanistan and that has strong ties with Kabul.

For his part, Director of the Center for Conflict Studies and Humanitarian Action at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, stressed the importance of the Intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha for its contribution to the communication between the components of the Afghan people, Pointing out that Qatar tried to hold this conference for the Afghan dialogue in April, and now this is the second and successful attempt.

He added in a remarks on the sidelines of the conference, that this is the first time that all the components and the spectrum of the Afghan people have met and this is an important achievement done by Doha, expressing his hope that the conference would produce good and satisfactory results for all and that there will be dialogue that achieves progress, as was the case in the peace talks between the United States and Taliban.

It is worth mentioning that Afghanistan is at an important crossroads to seize the opportunity to achieve peace, so the direct consensus between the Afghan parties is one of the most important elements for any process leading to this goal.

The State of Qatar and Germany hope that this conference will contribute to building trust between the main parties representing the vast majority of the people and Afghan society, in order to support peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region in general.