Cameron hopes Afghan elections will draw Taliban into democratic process
David Cameron is hoping that Afghan presidential and parliamentary elections in April 2014 will draw moderate elements of the Taliban into the democratic process before the departure of most Nato troops.
The prime minister expressed the hope after hosting two days of talks at Chequers between the Afghans and Pakistanis, including the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and the Pakistani president, Asif Ali Zardari.
The discussions were the third between the countries to be hosted by the UK, which regards closer co-operation between the two governments as indispensable in preventing a collapse of Afghan authority after Nato leaves. Historically, the Afghans have accused the Pakistani security services of backing the Taliban.
Cameron said the two leaders had agreed "an unprecedented level of co-operation", including a new strategic partnership in the autumn. British officials claimed the dynamic between the two had visibly improved.
In probably the single most concrete outcome of the talks, the two sides agreed to the opening of an office in Qatar's capital, Doha, for negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan High Peace Council.
The council has the job of reaching out to the Taliban and is chaired by Salahuddin Rabbani. He replaced his father, the former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was assassinated in September 2011 by a suicide bomber. Cameron said the agreement should send a clear message to the Taliban.
Last December, Cameron announced Britain would withdraw 3,800 of the country's 9,000 troops from Afghanistan this year. "Now is the time for everyone to participate in a peaceful political process in Afghanistan," he said. "This should lead to a future where all Afghans can participate peacefully in that country's political process." He added that the agreement should send a clear message to the Taliban.
Before the talks, Karzai said peace required the involvement in talks of "external elements involved in creating instability and fighting" in his country.
In an interview with the Guardian, Karzai said: "The exit of foreign forces will not bring more violence for them to perpetrate against their own people, but a serious, strong, good reduction in violence will occur."
Source: The Guardian