Afghanistan's president has rejected the timeline for a prisoner swap proposed in the U.S.-Taliban peace deal, saying his government's release of Taliban prisoners was not a promise the U.S. could make.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, March, 1.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, March, 1.
in the country, tasked with counter-terrorism efforts, training Afghan troops and providing air support for Afghan ground forces.in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan security forces held prisoner by the Taliban. The swap is intended as a confidence building measure ahead of talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government, slated to begin around mid-March in Oslo, Norway. The talks are intended to achieve a lasting ceasefire and a political settlement that would establish a role for the Taliban in the country's future.
But on Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told a news conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, that a prisoner release was not a promise the United States could make, according to"The request has been made by the United States for the release of prisoners and it can be part of the negotiations but it cannot be a precondition," said Ghani.
The Afghan president's statements are an early potential setback for the U.S. peace deal, which was signed by U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad and the head of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. They also underscore a point that many observers have long predicted: that the most challenging step in the peace process will be reaching an agreement between the Afghans themselves and the Taliban.
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