Afghan security adviser in Saudi Arabia to discuss peace talks

In this file photo, Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib listens during the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sept. 26, 2018. (AFP)

• Move is latest in a series of efforts to end the decades-old conflict
• Follows several meetings with representatives from Washington, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Islamabad

KABUL: Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser is currently in Saudi Arabia to discuss the country’s peace process and measures for joint cooperation between the two nations, officials said on Monday.
The visit by Hamdullah Mohib is the latest in a series of efforts by a top Afghan leader to engage with regional powers after Kabul was excluded from multilateral talks with the Taliban.
Mohib will meet with his Saudi counterpart and other officials during the course of his visit which began on Sunday, his spokesman, Tariq Aryan, told Arab News.
Mohib’s visit follows several meetings held with authorities in the UAE and with the US’ Special Envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, and is close on the heels of talks in the UAE, China, and with top officials in India in the recent days.
It was unclear whether Mohib will discuss the issue of a planned round of talks — on the Afghan peace process — which were supposed to take place in the Kingdom this week.
Taliban representatives have held a series of meetings with Khalilzad and other US diplomats in recent months for a solution to end the conflict in Afghanistan which began with the Taliban’s ouster from power in late 2001 in a US-led invasion.
The last round of talks were held in the UAE last month and involved representatives from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the host country too. However, the Afghan delegation could not take part in the talks due to conditions set by the Taliban.
Earlier, Afghan officials said they will not participate in the Saudi talks because it was an exercise in futility, especially if they could not hold direct talks with the insurgents who have gained more ground in recent years.
It’s Kabul’s desire for the peace process to be led and owned by Afghanistan. The Taliban, however, consider it as a US puppet and prefer to discuss the issue pertaining to the presence of foreign troops immediately, and hold talks with the Afghans at a later stage.