Leaders in London Reaffirm Commitment to Afghan Peace

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
and British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday reaffirmed their
continuing commitment to the Afghan peace process as they gathered in
London for a second round of trilateral talks.

The meeting is expected to extend over five days, but the leaders cut
right to the chase on Wednesday and reportedly began to discuss
economic cooperation and the Afghan-led peace process.

With an underlying focus on improving relations between the estranged
South Asian neighbors, the talks are expected to center on their
shared interest in advancing regional peace, stability and prosperity.

Although a previous round of trilateral talks between the three
countries was held at Cameron's home in Chequers back in February, the
positive outcomes were not as significant as the leaders had hoped.
The first round's ambitious six month timetable for a peace accord to
be struck between the Kabul government and Taliban has long come and
gone.

This was the first meeting of the three heads of state since Nawaz
Sharif assumed office in Islamabad.

Reportedly, in addition to broader discussions on how to hasten the
reconciliation process, Karzai intends to demand an explanation from
Sharif on the issue of former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul
Ghani Baradar's release from prison.

Baradar, who was captured in Karachi in 2010, is considered a
pragmatic negotiator who reached out to Kabul with a peace initiative
before his detention and is expected to be a big help in getting talks
back on track if released.

On Wednesday, officials from the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs
confirmed that Baradar remained in the custody of their security
forces.

The Afghan government has been pushing hard to get the Taliban to
negotiate a peace deal before the end of 2014, but the Taliban has
consistently refused to talk with the Karzai regime, referring to it
as a puppet government.

That trend changes on Tuesday, however, when Mutasem Agha Jan, the
head of the Taliban Politcal Committee, announced that talks were on
the horizon. He said he made the announcement with the imprimatur of
the Taliban's top leader, Mullah Omar.

The coalition and Afghan forces are coming out of one of the most
violent fighting seasons since the war in Afghanistan began twelve
years ago. All just under a year away from the end of the NATO combat
mission and withdraw of foreign troops.

There are currently around 100,000 international soldiers in
Afghanistan, out of which around 68,000 are Americans. NATO forces are
scheduled to leave by December of 2014, after which time the Afghan
security forces – currently numbering at around 350,000 men – will
take over full security responsibility of the country.