KABUL: Turkey announced early Wednesday that a conference Washington had hoped would move Afghanistan’s warring sides to a final peace agreement was postponed, as fresh violence rattled the Afghan capital.
The postponement of the conference, which was to have begun Saturday in Istanbul, underscored the difficulties the Biden administration is facing in orchestrating an orderly exit from conflict-scarred Afghanistan. The US has said it would begin withdrawing its remaining troops from the country on May 1 and complete the pullout by Sept. 11, no matter what.
In a TV interview, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the conference was delayed until after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in mid-May.
Just hours before his announcement, a suicide bomber attacked a convoy of Afghan security personnel, wounding five people in Kabul. The interior ministry said civilians and security personnel were among the wounded.
The attack was the first in weeks in the capital, even as targeted killings have escalated and Afghanistan’s security personnel have come under relentless attacks by Taliban insurgents. Recent months have also seen an increase in government bombing raids on suspected Taliban positions and increased raids by Afghan special forces.
Residents fear the attack could be a harbinger of what’s to come as the US and NATO prepare to begin their final withdrawal from Afghanistan. No one took immediate responsibility for the attack.
Cavusoglu said the conference, which was expected to begin on Saturday, was postponed because of “lack of clarity” by the participants, without elaborating.
Until now Taliban insurgents have refused to sign on to the conference even as Pakistan, where their leadership council resides, has been pressing the hard-line Islamic militia to attend.
The Taliban have accused Washington of breaching an agreement signed last year under which the US was to have withdrawn the last of its troops by May 1.
But President Joe Biden, who inherited that deal with the Taliban from his predecessor, last week said the remaining estimated 2,500 troops would begin leaving on May 1. All American and NATO soldiers would be gone by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist assault on the US that launched the US-led invasion to hunt down Al-Qaeda’s leader Osama bin Laden.
On Sunday, the Taliban issued an English-language statement on their Al Emara site, indicating they were not ready to attend the conference. They claimed that a powerful propaganda campaign had been launched, hyping expectations that a peace deal would be reached at the end of the planned 10-day meeting.
The statement said this was an attempt “to push the Taliban, willingly or unwillingly, to a rushed decision which was needed by America.” It alleged that the aim of the conference was to “complete a for-show road map before the withdrawal of foreign forces.”
In Kabul, Afghan government-allied negotiators had anticipated a delay as none had received an invitation to the conference and several were without visas to Turkey.
In Washington the US State Department spokesman Ned Price would not confirm the postponement but said the US would continue diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal.
“When it comes to the talks in Istanbul, this gets to the point that, from the very earliest days of the Biden administration, we have recognized ... that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and only through a political settlement and a comprehensive cease-fire will we be able to support a resolution that brings a security, stability, and prosperity to the people of Afghanistan,” Price said in a statement.
US-backed Afghan peace meeting postponed as Taliban balk
https://arab.news/ydpjn
US-backed Afghan peace meeting postponed as Taliban balk
- Turkish foreign minister said the conference was delayed until after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in mid-May
- The Taliban issued a statement on Sunday, indicating they were not ready to attend the conference
Britain needs to step up defense spending faster, says Starmer
- Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30
LONDON: Britain should step up and accelerate its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, following a report that the government was considering bringing forward its target to spend 3 percent of economic output on defense.
Britain, which has warned of the risks posed by Russia, said in February 2025 that it would lift annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2027 and aim for 3 percent in the next Parliament, which is expected to begin after an election due in 2029.
The BBC reported that the government was now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029. It said no decision had been taken but the government recognized current plans would not cover rising defense costs.
HIGHLIGHT
The BBC reported that the government is now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029.
Asked whether he would bring the target forward to 2029, Starmer echoed comments he made at the Munich Security Conference, where he said Europe had united to support Ukraine with the supply of weapons and munitions and to strengthen military readiness.
“We need to step up. That means on defense spending, we need to go faster,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We’ve obviously made commitments already in relation to that, but it goes beyond just how much you spend.”
Latest NATO estimates show that Britain spent 2.3 percent of the GDP on defense in 2024, above the alliance’s 2 percent guideline. But like other European countries, it has faced US pressure to spend more to protect the continent. Struggling with high debt and spending commitments, the government last year cut its international aid budget to fund the hike in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP but is yet to publish an investment plan with spending priorities, something that has frustrated the defense industry.
Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has struggled to stay on track with her plans to repair the public finances. The BBC said the Finance Ministry was believed to be cautious about the new defense spending proposals.
A government spokesperson said Britain was “delivering the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
