KABUL: The new US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, held detailed talks with Afghan leaders during his first visit to the region in his quest to reinstate peace.
He stressed t hat the Afghan government and the Taliban should form their “inclusive and authorized” negotiation teams for the resumption of stalled peace talks to end the 17-year-old conflict in the country.
The Afghan presidential palace has welcomed his move, while Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah termed it a “new window of opportunity” for the peace process, hoping that the Taliban will also respond positively and show willingness for talks with Kabul.
Abdullah, during a Cabinet meeting after his talks with Khalilzad, said: “We welcome this initiative and dedicated focus from the US and hope the other side will also avail this opportunity so we can get closer to peace.”
The government-appointed High Peace Council considers Khalilzad’s push as a “practical US effort” to find a peaceful settlement for Afghanistan.
Speaking with reporters, Khalilzad said on Monday that he wanted to break “the stalemate around the war and help broker peace.”
He said: “Peace is not easy, but there is a new window of opportunity” for peace.
Khalilzad’s visit to the region will take him to Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE after his Kabul stopover. His effort has ignited hope in various quarters of the Afghan government and among the general Afghan public longing for peace.
However, in the face of rising Taliban gains on ground, brewing political and tribal tension within the government and growing regional opposition to the US military presence in Afghanistan, some local observers do not see any willingness on the part of the Taliban to hold talks with the government in Kabul.
The Taliban “are in a powerful position and it is very unlikely that they will get ready for talks with Kabul,” Dr. Yaqoob Ibrahimi, a renowned researcher and political analyst, said. 
An edge that Khalilzad brings with his appointment is that he is Afghan-born and has served as the US ambassador to Kabul for many years since the fall of the Taliban. He has old acquaintances among local and regional leaders.
Bashir Bezhen, an Afghan politician, told Arab News: “There is no doubt that Khalilzad is a famous figure among (common) people, armed opposition forces, and in the region as a whole, but we are in an entirely different situation now as compared to his tenure as ambassador in the past.
“Given his current position, which lacks authority, I am not very optimistic that he can find a solution for Afghanistan’s crisis or can influence the regional players. The equilibrium in the region has changed. Iran, Russia and Pakistan do not wish to see the US here.”
Kabir Ranjbar, a political scientist, said Khalilzad and the US efforts will bear fruit when Washington applies the required pressure on Pakistan to abandon support for the Taliban leadership.
“Unless Pakistan changes its strategy on Afghanistan, the situation will not improve. The US needs to impose harsher sanctions on Pakistan as it has on Iran if it wants peace in Afghanistan,” Ranjbar told Arab News.
Nazar Mohammad Mutmaeen, a writer who knows the Taliban leadership, said Khalilzad and Washington need to discuss major issues directly with the Taliban instead of sending him to regional countries to find a solution.
The Taliban had no immediate comment about Khalilzad’s efforts.
But as Khalilzad was holding talks with the Afghan leaders, the militant group in a statement on Monday reiterated its long stance as a solution for the conflict.
Although the statement’s focus was about the warning of the insurgents to disrupt the Oct. 20 parliamentary elections, and made no reference to Khalilzad’s trip, it indicated that the militants were in no way willing to speak to Kabul and clearly stated their old position that a complete withdrawal of US-led troops was the only solution to end the conflict.
“The real solution of the ongoing Afghan crisis lies in the complete withdrawal of all foreign occupying forces and the restoration of a pure Islamic sovereignty,” the statement said.
