UN prepared to mediate Afghan-Taliban peace talks

The United Nations is prepared to mediate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the top UN envoy said.

Tom Koenigs of Germany said negotiations to support the Afghan government will not produce “a quick result” but are essential.

“We from the United Nations will certainly support peace talks because the insurgency cannot be won over by military means only,” he said. “We have to keep the door open for negotiations.”

The United Nations does not expect the “hardcore” of the Taliban to negotiate, “but there are certainly tribes who are alienated, maybe even by misgovernance, who can be brought back,” Koenigs told a news conference.

He said the UN can mediate, for instance, between tribes that are fighting for the government and tribes that are fighting for the Taliban.

“Where we can negotiate or mediate, we will do (it) and in some cases we have some success,” he said.

“We assess that half the problem of the insurgency is a problem of alienated tribes so half the problem is the government’s problem. That’s why we insist so much in supporting the government” to improve governance in the provinces, Koenigs said.