Thursday, July 16, 2015

Mullah Omar is still around. He wants peace.

It is quite a statement by Mullah Omar. It's long enough to begin to speak the truth about the faith and not a distorted call for violence.

It would be best if there was peace in Afghanistan and the country finally was able to establish a sound economy that is not insulted by war. It is the only path that makes the future promising for Afghan children. Any Muslim would state children are important and should be regarded highly as a peaceful future unwinds. 

Sweet foods being prepared ahead of Eid in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Photograph: Anil Usyan/Reuters 

15 July 2015
By Agence France - Press

Taliban leader Mullah Omar (click here) has hailed as “legitimate” peace talks aimed at ending Afghanistan’s 13-year war, in his first comments on the nascent dialogue.

“If we look into our religious regulations, we can find that meetings and even peaceful interactions with the enemies is not prohibited,” the reclusive figure said on Wednesday in his annual message on the eve of Eid, the festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

“Concurrently with armed jihad, political endeavours and peaceful pathways for achieving these sacred goals is a legitimate Islamic principle,” he said in a statement posted on the Taliban’s official website.

Members of the Afghan high peace council sat down with Taliban cadres last week in Murree, a tourist town in the hills north of Islamabad, for their first official talks to try to end the militants’ bloody fight, now in its 14th year....

Interesting. Mullah Omar doesn't recognize the hate spewed by Daesh as important. Daesh's illegitimate leader/holy man is challenged. It appears an elder holy men doesn't like the promise of more death and war.

...Divides within the Taliban between those for and against talks have been made worse by the emergence of a local branch of the Islamic State (Isis)....

Karzai is still at the center of power in Afghanistan. What is that all about? Wealth maybe. Afghanistan has a lot of natural resources. 

...US drone strikes over the past week have killed dozens of suspected Isis-linked cadres in Afghanistan, including the group’s Afghanistan-Pakistan regional chief, Hafiz Saeed.

The notoriously uncompromising Isis has shown no desire to negotiate, and if the Taliban faultlines widen there is a danger the talks process could drive more of its hardline fighters into its arms.

There is increased strikes, instability and death with Daesh's promises to kill, kill and kill some more. 

July 15, 2015
By Samimullah Arif

After being formed (click here) by a supra-constitutional political deal, the National Unity Government (NUG) is now navigating a sea of power players who, for all intents and purposes, are attempting a comeback. And Former President Hamid Karzai seems to be in the lead.

Karzai has consistently denied that he opposes the current government. He confirmed this in an interview with the New York Times on June 15 saying he is not taking an active role in politics nor will he try to come back to power in 2019. But his moves imply otherwise.

Karzai has criticized the current government, speaking out against the controversial intelligence–sharing deal between the Afghan spy agency, the National Directorate of Security, and its Pakistani counterpart, Inter-Services Intelligence, and the NUG’s inclusion of Pakistan in the peace talks with the Taliban....

Perhaps former President Karzai should act as an ambassador to Pakistan and extend any talks to the Pakistani President to end any misunderstandings and aggressions. There should be agreements in place with all Afghanistan's neighbors. 

Any agreement would create an enforceable peace and insure a safe economy. Former President Karzai could be instrumental in negotiating peace and economic agreements. It would be a good place for his experience and not just a political power player. It is time former President Karzai take an elder place among the Afghan people and lead into a strong regional peace. 

...Karzai’s actions have not gone unnoticed by commentators and analysts inside and out of Afghanistan....

Having Russia engage Afghanistan should not be viewed as a strange development. Russia has said some time ago it would enter the picture as the USA leaves the country. Russia has an interest by proximity, but, it also has allies in the region. This is not new or surprising in development. It is just the next step for the region to stabilize.

Afghanistan’s presidential election (click here) was resolved in a U.S.-brokered deal that created a national unity government (NUG). New president Ashraf Ghani, by decree, created the post of chief executive officer (CEO), filled by Abdullah Abdullah. This has resulted in a power-sharing arrangement between two teams, the legal parameters of which will not be decided for another two years....

Former President Karzai needs to support the presence, priorities and policies of the power sharing government. The best support he can provide is using his experience to bring the region to a common goal of safety for their citizens and building prospering economies. The USA in turn needs to allow movements toward peace and a stable economy without violence or the goals of more hate and war. It is time for the USA to provide a safe place for the future of the Afghan government on it's own terms. Basically, it is time to leave.

Russia's growing presence in Afghanistan has nothing to do with sanctions against Russia. This has been Russia's position before the sanctions were in place. This has been a long time goal in the Russian government. 

While Daesh works on 'the vapors' of religious wars, there is sincere problems for the region to solve, hence, Russia.

July 15, 2015
By Huseyn Hasanov

Turkmenistan (click here) takes concrete steps to resolve water issues at the national level and contributes to regional and international cooperation in this sphere, “Neutral Turkmenistan” newspaper reported.

The constant growth of water consumption requires coordinated efforts and complex programs, as well as implementation of projects able to bring long-term effect, said the article.

The large-scale project for creating artificial water reservoir – Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) lake - in Karakum desert is one of these projects.

Currently, intensive work is underway as part of the second phase of this project. The collector’s branches are expanded and deepened, hydraulic structures, bridges, roads are constructed....

In 2002, shortly after the US invasion into Afghanistan President Karzai proposed a meeting with Iran and the USA. A summit if you will. Then President "W" refused and further destabilized the region in his "Axis of Evil" speech. Karzai wanted peace regionally since the beginning of his return to Afghan leadership. 

Perhaps now is that time. Afghan can play a vital role in stabilizing the region under it's new power sharing government. Afghanistan should move forward with ever effort for peace and bring a more stable relationship to the region. It desperately needs those sovereign agreements to end any potential growth of Daesh and the war Daesh promises in all it's advances. 

These countries are capable of peace in valuing the future and their children. It all should be a very high priority for all nations in the region.