On Monday 8 April, the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the European Union called for the earliest possible launch of direct peace negotiations between the parties to the Afghan conflict, with which they believe the EU should be involved from the outset.
“Direct negotiations between Afghans, with the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban at their core, should begin as soon as possible, ensuring an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process”, they stress in conclusions adopted at the EU Council meeting in Luxembourg.
Speaking to the press, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said that these negotiations could start as early as next week. Negotiations are currently underway between the United States and the Taliban and concerns remain about the Afghan government's ability to return to the talks as soon as possible.
Ministers thus encourage the Afghan government and the Taliban to redouble their efforts to achieve a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the conflict, also supporting all actions that support the process.
“The EU must be associated from the outset to all stages of the peace process”, say the heads of diplomacy. Speaking to the press, Ms Mogherini said that the EU was already playing an “essential role in trying to facilitate the start of negotiations”, that it was working closely with the US administration on this issue and that the Union enjoyed the confidence of the parties, but also of the actors in the region. The EU Council's conclusions also stress that the negotiation process needs the full support and constructive participation of the entire international community.
As the High Representative indicated during her trip to Afghanistan (see EUROPE 12222/26), the Ministers recall that the Union is ready to help make the peace process inclusive, support reforms, act as a guarantor of the peace process, if requested, assist in the reintegration of combatants and their families and, finally, promote trade and connectivity in the region. The EU Council therefore invites the High Representative and the Commission to implement these actions as the peace process progresses.
The EU is also ready to contribute, politically and financially, to the implementation of an agreement, provided that it preserves “ the political, economic and social achievements of the people of Afghanistan since 2001, which should be irreversible”. In the EU Council's view, the agreement, which must be negotiated in an inclusive manner, must therefore respect the rule of law and human and women's rights and ensure the continuity of the Afghan State, its institutions, its constitutional order and its international obligations. It must also implement any changes to these elements through a legitimate and inclusive process. The agreement must also involve a renunciation of violence and oppose any threat from transnational terrorist organisations operating from the territory. It must provide opportunities to enforce accountability, including through transitional justice and to address complaints from victims of the conflict in Afghanistan.
The High Representative also recalled that the negotiations should not take the electoral process hostage. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)