Debating Room

Leading contenders in this year's Afghan presidential election agree there is no clear military solution to the ongoing conflict in their country, but they differ over how to tackle the issue of negotiating peace with the Taliban.

Representatives of Afghan presidential candidates and experts participating in a recent Radio Free Afghanistan call-in show, "On the Waves of Freedom," said that the conflict in Afghanistan has domestic, regional, and international dimensions. They said that new approaches and a renewed focus on the peace process can guarantee durable peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Azita Rafaat, head of former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani's presidential campaign, said they propose a new strategy for peace talks with Taliban. "The national, regional, and international environment for peace in Afghanistan has changed significantly," she said.

"Afghans are sick and tired of [endless] war. We have to seek new ways and approaches for peace and increase the strength of our security force with the help of the international community."

Rafaat added that if elected, Ghani's administration will ensure broad-based regional cooperation in the peace process. "We have to convince our neighboring countries that their security is directly linked with Afghanistan’s stability and peace," she said.

"[We have to convince them that] supporting terrorism is not in the interests of any country in the region," she said. Rafaat concluded that, given the past failure of a military solution, a political solution is now more desirable in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Fazel Rahman Oria, spokesman for former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah’s campaign, pledged that if elected, their government will unveil a new peace plan in the first 100 days after assuming office.

"Only dialogue and diplomacy can bring peace into Afghanistan, but good governance is also vital," he said. "We will launch a national process with the participation of government, political parties, civil society, and leading independent figures."

Oria said that their administration will adopt a balanced foreign policy based on the principals of non-alignment, coexistence, and regional cooperation.

Toofan Waziri, head of former Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasul campaign, says peace and security are the foremost challenges for the next Afghan president.

"Those [Taliban] now fighting against the Afghan government and international community must accept our constitution [before they can be engaged in talks]," he said.

"They have to respect our main achievements during the past 12 years." Waziri said that, if elected, Rasul will empower and reform the Afghan High Peace Council to move the peace talks with the Taliban forward.

Wadir Safi, a Kabul University professor, said the agreement among the 11 Afghan presidential contenders that the country's security problems can only be solved through dialogue is a good omen.

"If the election is transparent then the new president and his administration will have the full support and trust of our nation," he said. "This will prompt the insurgents and their backers to rethink their attitude and it is likely that the peace talks will yield results."

Years of efforts to negotiate peace with the Taliban have yielded little. In the latest setback, the Taliban have distanced themselves from Kabul's recent talks in Dubai with a Taliban faction headed by former Taliban Finance Minister, Aga Jan Mohtism.

Every Thursday, millions of Afghans in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan tune in to "On the Waves of Freedom." The weekly two hour long radio call-in show is known for analysis and political commentary, and is a flagship program of Radio Free Afghanistan, locally known as Radio Azadi.

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Experts and officials have advised President Hamid Karzai to sign the stalled security pact with the United States in an effort to bring stability to Afghanistan.

Participants and callers in a recent Radio Free Afghanistan call-in show, "On the Waves of Freedom," called on Karzai to refrain, in effect, from giving Pakistan and the Taliban a veto on Afghanistan's future by delaying the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement.

Abdul Karim Khuram, President Karzai's chief of staff, says that the Afghan leader's differences with Washington are rooted in national interests and principles. "We demanded that our national security forces must be trained and equipped and that the reconstruction money must be spent wisely and rightly," he said. "But all this is not being done by the United States of America."

He said that Kabul has tried to convince Washington about its perspective on the war in the country. "From the beginning the military engagement in Afghanistan was misguided and as a result extremism has increased," he said.

Khuram described Washington's dealings with Afghanistan's most important eastern neighbor, Pakistan, as murky. "U.S. relations with Pakistan have made the situation in Afghanistan more complicated and confusing," he said. "This resulted in increasing insecurity in Afghanistan and the region."

As a key precondition for signing the security agreement, Karzai has demanded that Washington pressure Pakistan to bring Afghan Taliban insurgents sheltering in the country to the negotiating table. "I believe one hundred percent that the key to peace in Afghanistan is in the hands of U.S. and Pakistan," Karzai recently said.

Lawmaker Abdul Rahim Ayubi said that all Afghans want to see the security agreement signed but that Karzai’s demands are also seen as legitimate. "The Americans and their allies should not think that their presence in Afghanistan was accidental," he said. "I believe Afghans need the security agreement but as a Muslim, human being and an Afghan, I do have the right to be safe in my own home."

Former U.S. special envoy and ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said on the show that he hoped that Washington and Kabul could repair their relations.

"Good relations between Kabul and Washington benefit both countries," he said. "Afghanistan has achieved a lot since 2001 but it still is not self-sufficient."

Khalilzad said that support for engagement in Afghanistan is dwindling in his country. "The interest in huge expenses in security and reconstruction in Afghanistan has faded."

He sees Karzai's precondition for signing the security pact unreasonable. "The United States of America does not control the Taliban or Pakistan to bring peace in Afghanistan."

He urged Karzai to sign the agreement soon. "We should not give the Taliban and Pakistan the veto on the Bilateral Security Agreement. Ultimately, it's not in Afghanistan's interest."

Every Thursday, millions of Afghans in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and Tajikistan tune in to "On The Waves of Freedom." This weekly, two-hour-long radio call-in show is known for sharp analysis and political commentary, and is a flagship program of Radio Free Afghanistan, or Radio Azadi, as it is known locally.

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