ISLAMABAD, MAR 28 (DNA) -The current peace talks between the United States and Taliban need to be more transparent, inclusive and open and an intra-Afghan dialogue is more important and should be promoted in a way that the Afghan government does not feel excluded and Taliban are also a part of the process.

Any solution for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan needs to have the support of the Afghanpeople who have suffered more than anyone else in the decades of war and instability.

These were some of the conclusions of the Pakistan-Austria Roundtable on “Afghanistan and Regional Stability” held at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, here in Islamabad Thursday.

The roundtable, moderated by Ambassador (R) Fauzia Nasreen included eminent diplomats who had served in Afghanistan, Austria and Saudi Arabia as well as academics and defence analysts.

Giving his welcome address, Ambassador Vice Admiral (R) Khan Hasham Bin Saddique said that since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, the country has witnessed unprecedented violence which has considerably weakened thestate and society.

The instability in Afghanistan has remained a major source of concern for the international community, particularly Pakistan. “Pakistan endured the spillover of humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan into Pakistan’s western border regions, when we hosted around 5 million Afghan refugees during the 1980s and 1990s, and continue to host around 2.5 million Afghan refugees,” he said.

President Saddique highlighted that conflict in Afghanistan in the post-9/11 milieu gravely impacted the stability of Pakistan’s western border regions, especially the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Balochistan.

“Pakistan’s viewpoint on Afghanistan is clear: we want an intra-Afghan dialogue which involves all segments of society. It is only through building an intra-Afghan consensus that the beleaguered country can finally be ushered into an era of peace and stability,” he stressed.

In his keynote, Dr Werner Fasslabend, President of the Austrian Institute for European and Security Policy, offered a strategic analysis of Afghan situation from the Austrian and European Union perspective.

He was of the view that the situation in Afghanistan is more or less defined by its geostrategic location, being in the middle of South, Central and Western Asia and even having links to Eastern Asia.

“Being a landlocked country will continue to define the course of Afghanistan’s inner politics as well as the movement and decisions of global powers and regional powers around it,” he said.

Speaking of the current prevailing situation, he said that the United States is now tired and is ready to withdraw with minimal conditions even if that means fewer bases in the territory since ultimately “the Americans understand the central function of Afghanistan and will not give it up completely without maintaining a foothold there.

”He was of the view that once the US leaves, China will strive to have a stronger presence in Afghanistan.

He pointed out that “For China, Afghanistan has a strategic function that goes far beyond other countries because it is a gateway towards East and West Asia. It also offers a link to Central Asia which is of utmost importance to China.

The strategic alliance between Beijing and Moscow is an alliance which is against the West, and especially the US. The first strategic interest of this alliance is dominance in Central Asia.”

Dr Fasslabend further shared that Europe does not have an immediate geopolitical interest in Afghanistan sinceit is more concerned about having peace in the region, free of humanitarian crises, drugs and anti-terrorism.

He concluded that Afghanistan, as a country, is divided. “What the country lacks most is a common agendaaccepted by internal and external powers. For Afghanistan, the main challenge remains: whether this region will be a region of divide or cooperation.”

Brig Walter Feichtinger, Head of the Institute for Peace-Keeping and Conflict Management at the National Defence Academy shared that Austrian forces were one of the first to join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan in 2002, providing expertise and logistical support. “Austria continues to contribute to the follow-on Resolute Support Mission (RSM) to further train, assist and advise the Afghan security forces and institutions,” he said.

Ambassador (R) Fauzia Nasreen shared that the major transformations and transitions are taking place in Afghanistan. But while terrorism remains a major threat for all countries, instead of handling it in a way that leads to confrontation, it should be tackled in a way that leads to cooperation.

Ambassador (R) Umar Khan Ali Sherzai , Ambassador (R) Ali Sarwar , Lt. Gen (R) Talat Masood , Amb (R) Muhammad Ayaz Wazir also spoke on the occasion. DNA

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