TALEBAN AND ALLIANCE AGREE ON EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS
PARIS 10TH May. (IPS) The second round of indirect talks between the Taleban who control more than 85 per cent of the Afghan territory and the Islamic Northern Alliance of the former President Borhanneddin Rabbani ended Wednesday in Saudi city port of Jeddah without reaching any agreement concerning the formation of a broad-based government representing all the fighting factions but agreed on a possible exchange of prisoners.
The talks, called by the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) had started Monday under with the participation of representatives from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Nation's special Representative for Afghanistan.
The OIC is presently presided over by the Iran.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, heading a delegation of OIC at the conference dismissed reports that the Taleban and the Northern Alliance had reached a cease fire agreement.
"A coalition of Afghan opposition group and Taleban have only agreed to complete release of the prisoners of war (POWs)," Dr Zarif noted, explaining to reporters that the aim behind the negotiations was to provide the "necessary facilities" for the Afghans to put an end to their sufferings and bring about peace between the warring groups".
He said the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva is also informed to co-operate with the Iranian and Pakistani representatives on this case. "We hope that this positive step would serve as an impetus to create trust between the warring factions for further positive steps", the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Mr. Zarif.
But OIC sources said that the exchange of prisoners will be supervised by the Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and come under the umbrella of the OIC and the United Nations.
The first round of talks held in March in this same city and also under the OIC's auspices had ended in fiasco.
"There is no cease fire agreement", Taleban representative Mollah Amir Khan Mottaqi told the independent Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) by telephone from Jeddah.
He was referring to news that sources at the OIC had quoted Afghan representatives having agreed Tuesday to a cease-fire and an exchange of prisoners. The Taleban are recognised only by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates while Iran and Russia supports their opponents of Northern Alliance.
Speaking to the BBC's Persian and Central Asian service, Mr. Ebrahim Bakr of the OIC said that though he has the impression that the two sides are willing to reach a solution, "but their methods to fulfil this aim are basically different".
For his part, the Taleban representative insisted on the "neutrality" and "non interference" in Afghanistan's internal affairs by the neighbours.
He would point his finger at Iran, since Pakistan is the main protector of the Taleban.
"Stressing Afghanistan's neighbours should stay "neutral" in the civil war, he said: "We raised the issue of foreign interference more than 20 times but it was not discussed", AIP quoted Mollah Mottaqi.
OIC and Iranian sources said while Taleban are after the "consolidation" of the Islamic State of Afghanistan and are calling for their recognition by the United nations and other world's major organisations including the OIC, their opponents supported by the United Nations, Russia, Iran and other Central Asian nations encourages the formation of a government representing all major warring factions.
But the Taleban do not understand why they should share the power with the ousted government of President Rabbani who lives in Iran and his forces, led by war veteran Ahmad Shah Mas'oud, controls less than 15 per cent of the country?
"Our people are for a strong, nation-wide and principled Islamic regime. In 95 per cent of the national territory, these demands are met, there are no major difficulties. Why then should one create problems in these areas? He told BBC referring to the difficulties the formation of a new government with the participation of the opposition would obviously trigger.
"Mr. Mottaqi said Afghanistan's vacant seat at the OIC and the UN must be given to the Taleban and the government of the Islamic militia, which controls most of the country, must be recognised by the pan-Islamic body", AIP quoted him.
He also said he had sought OIC help on the removal of UN sanctions imposed in November against the Taliban regime over its refusal to hand over suspected terrorist Osma bin Laden.
The Jeddah talks were scheduled after no progress was made during a three-day session in the city in March.
"The ad hoc committee called on both sides to halt their military operations. We have no objection to this call for a comprehensive cease fire".
The United Nations tried in early 1999 to sponsor an agreement between the warring factions after a joint bid with the OIC failed in 1998. ENDS AFQAN PEACE TALKS 10500