State Pao: Afghan Evening News Clips 15 August 2015

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renewal of talks started at Murree or will this valuable initiative
peter out with differences remaining_unresolved in the Taliban
Shura? ' '
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One thing about Afghan Taliban’s relations with the "
American/Nato—sponsored—and—supported—government in Kabul which '
this A
scribe finds somewhat puzzling is that why may, at all, the Taliban
negotiate with the new government which more or less is the
creation -
A
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of Taliban's enemies? i
Taliban as we know are the sworn enemies of USA which dismantled
their government and for more than a decade used their lethal state
vof the art war machinery to destroy them. They failed to defeat
them,
had to admit their failure publicly and withdraw the bulk of their
combat forces. If for certain reasons including friendly pressure_
from Pakistan, they appear somewhat inclined to take to talks,
their , f
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first condition is bound to be a total departure of all US/Nato
forces from the Qbuntry. As things stand both Washington and Kabul
are determined to a keep ten to fifteen thousand American troops
stationed in Afghanistan. Can in these circumstances Taliban enter
into a settlement with a dependent or client government currently
in '
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place? '
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Another matter of ambiguity are the surprising statements on the
part , .
of our Prime Minister and the Army Chief that Pakistan would be
helping Afghanistan government fight its enemies which obviously_
are .
_
the Taliban with whom Pakistan has had a good relationship and
whose -
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government was recognized as legitimate before Washington decided
to .
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invade the country. '
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The other neighbor in the east is perhaps more difficult to engage.
It managed to bilateralize the settlement of disputes through the
Simla Agreement. Yes the UN linked Kashmir issue still needs to be
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resolved but the matter has to be resolved bilaterally which means
meetings between representatives of the two governments. But no
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8/23/2017
Approved for Release: 2018/09/04 C06708887