After 19 years of American interference, the Doha Agreement marks a new stage in the history of Afghanistan

Mohamed Benkassim-Doha

With the signing of a peace agreement by the United States and the Afghan Taliban today, Saturday, in the Qatari capital, Doha, after hard negotiations, Afghanistan has entered a new stage after four decades of successive wars and 18 years of American military intervention in the country after the overthrow of the Taliban rule.

The international presence and the wide media coverage of the signing of the peace agreement signaled the success of the mediation in converting two parties who fought for years to become partners in achieving a fundamental breakthrough that would end the cycle of war that had catastrophic effects on the Afghan people.

Although the signing of the Doha Agreement is a historic step, the achievement of a comprehensive and lasting peace without it has many obstacles, foremost among which are the Afghan forces sitting at the dialogue table, making concessions to achieve internal reconciliation and turning the page of war.

It was remarkable that the Doha agreement provided guarantees and executive mechanisms for the two main demands of the Taliban and the United States. The first party insists that the withdrawal of foreign forces is the basic condition for ending the suffering of Afghans and the agreement of the Afghan parties on a road map for the future of the country, while what matters to Washington is that the Taliban cut their ties with Movements that America describes as terrorist and prohibiting the use of Afghan territory to launch attacks on America and its allies.

Basic topics
A spokesman for the Taliban political bureau and member of the negotiating team, Suhail Shaheen, told Al-Jazeera Net that the Afghan internal discussions would touch on basic issues, such as an agreement to form a new government and a new constitution, as well as security agency reforms.

Shaheen added that the Doha agreement "is a very important achievement because, accordingly, all foreign forces will withdraw within 14 months, and we will enter into another phase which is negotiations between the Afghans and talk about the future of Afghanistan and how the government can be formed by peaceful means."

He explained that the Afghan-Afghan dialogue will start after today's agreement, and there will be a period for implementing confidence-building measures, including the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners to the Kabul government, and 1,000 prisoners to the Taliban government.

Shaheen said that it has not yet been agreed that Doha will host the dialogue, and that this will be decided soon, stressing that the Taliban political office in Doha will continue its work normally.

It was remarkable the statement of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in the press conference that followed the signing of the agreement, that his country realized that the establishment of a comprehensive and lasting peace in the country should be made by the Afghans themselves.

Pompeo stressed that his country would closely monitor the extent of the Taliban's commitment to its obligations set out in the agreement, chief among them not to allow Afghanistan to be used as a springboard for terrorist attacks on America and its allies, adding that Washington would implement phases of a gradual withdrawal depending on the Taliban

Pompeo added that the agreement concluded in Doha provides the environment for all Afghan forces to engage in dialogue to determine the future of the country, warning the Taliban that the escalation of violence will lead to thwarting any efforts to achieve peace in the country.

New stage
The signing of the peace agreement was marked by the presence of representatives of civil society in Afghanistan, including the writer and professor at the University of Kabul Fayez Zland, who said in press statements that signing the agreement today will open a new stage in the history of Afghanistan and the region, and will enhance regional and international security.

According to Zeland, the large international presence in signing the agreement is a guarantee for the parties to implement their obligations stipulated in the agreement, adding that the world will monitor what will happen in Afghanistan.

The university professor adds that the steps loyal to signing the agreement today are the partial exchange of prisoners, the extension of the current truce between the Taliban and Afghan and American forces, and the entry of Afghan parties into the negotiations, stressing that the American and international role is very much needed to achieve internal Afghan reconciliation.