Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has said on Tuesday no peace deal could be finalized between the United States and the Taliban without involving his government as Afghan is “the decision-maker”.
Ghani’s government has been sided from evolving into dialogues (Afghan peace talks) between the US envoy and Taliban negotiators to put an end to 17-year-old Afghan war and crisis, with the Taliban calling Ghani’s government a US “puppet”.
According to Reuters news reports, the remark was made in a televised interview as the country’s opposition politicians with including his predecessor Hamid Karzai, who met with Taliban envoys in Moscow.
Ghani told TOLO news, “At the end of any peace deal, the decision-maker will be the government of Afghanistan. No power in the country can dissolve the government.”
He also went to say he was ready to “stand and defend our country”. He said, “Rest assured that no one can push us aside.”
With both sides praising the progress made in dialogues held last month in Qatar, the US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad is due to hold a meeting with the Taliban envoy again on February 25.
“The Taliban said they are ready to sever ties with al Qaeda and the Islamic State, and this is a good development,” Ghani said.
In a Twitter post, Ghani, on Wednesday, said he had received assurances by the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo via phone call conversation about Washington’s commitment of an “enduring partnership” with the Afghan government.
Ghani said his country’s military partnership with the US was “unwavering” and also, would remain until the inclusive and lasting peace was achieved.