US stresses for political settlement, comprehensive ceasefire to resolve crisis in Afghanistan

US state department spokesperson Ned Price stated that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and only political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire can resolve the crisis in the war-torn country. The US has also been pushing for India's inclusion in the peace process as the former believes that it, being South Asia’s biggest player, can bring a lot to the table.

New Delhi: The United States has said that the Biden administration from day one has maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan and only political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire can resolve the crisis in the war-torn country.

In response to media query whether talks in Istanbul is now off and where are things diplomatically, US state department spokesperson Ned Price said, “when it comes to the talks in Istanbul, this gets to the point that from the various early – very earliest days of the Biden administration, we have recognized, number one, that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and only through a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire will we be able to support a resolution that brings security, stability, and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan”.

The conference in Istanbul is part of that broader effort, that broader diplomatic engagement. We are grateful to the hosts – Turkey, Qatar, and the UN – for convening it. I would need to refer to them when it comes to the current status of that timing of it or timing of it going forward”, he added.

Price pointed out that diplomatic efforts have spanned for months now. “Special Ambassador Khalilzad has spent the better part of two months in the region, whether it’s Doha, whether it’s Kabul, whether it’s Islamabad – of course, he was in Moscow for the extended Troika – and throughout the region, seeking not only to achieve progress between the Afghan parties but also, again, to bring in the international community in a way that several of these countries have not been brought in before”, he underlined.

Turkey on Tuesday announced that it is postponing a much-anticipated Afghan peace conference in Istanbul until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the conference would be meaningless without the Taliban joining.

“At the moment, we decided to postpone it since there is no clarity about the formation of the delegations and participation...The aim is not to initiate alternative talks to Doha but to contribute to the process. Hosting the meeting together in Istanbul will be Turkey, Qatar and the UN," the Foreign Minister added.

The international conference is considered crucial for the war-ravaged country’s future amid the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan. The meeting between the representatives of Afghanistan and the Taliban was slated to be held from April 24 till May 4 in Turkey.

US state spokesperson further said that discussions with President Ghani last week in Kabul signify that the Afghan Government recognizes that there are countries in the region, and in some cases even slightly beyond, that have a role to play, a supporting role to play in the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process.

“We want to see the international community and many of these countries serve as effective and constructive stakeholders in this, supporting and lending assistance to the process that we hope and we have invested in to bring about a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire going forward”, he added.

India is among the six countries that would join the table to decide the roadmap for the Afghan peace process and given its growing stakes in the Afghan instance, New Delhi takes a strong interest in putting an end to the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

It is the United States that has been pushing for India’s inclusion in the peace process, to be a part of the mechanism, as it believes that there is no other country better suited to do so than India as being South Asia’s biggest player.