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US ambassador presses talks with Taliban
President Obama's deputy special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan on Wednesday made the case for peace talks with the Taliban.
Speaking to the public via a State Department Q&A on Twitter, James Warlick said the administration supports reconciliation with the insurgents it has been battling for the past 12 years. President Obama for the first time endorsed a proposal to open a “Taliban office” in Qatar when he met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week.
“At the Summit, the Leaders called on Taliban to join political process and take necessary steps to open office,” Warlick said on Twitter. “We agree that reconciliation is surest path to peace and ending violence in Afghanistan. As SecClinton has said, 'You don’t make peace with your friends, you make peace with your enemies.' "
“About zero option, what do we do if there isn't a bilateral security agrmt?” he said on the social media platform. “Afghan forces are growing stronger.”
Warlick also faced a number of pointed questions about women's rights in Afghanistan. He repeatedly praised Karzai and the progress he said has been made in recent years, refuting allegations of backsliding.
“GDP has risen. Women businesses are up. Forty percent of students in school are women,” he said. "I met with Afghan women in Kabul and heard their concerns. Gains by women won't be reversed.”
“Not true. More money is going to women in schools, business, and health,” he said in response to a critic who accused the administration of turning a blind eye to women's rights.
“There is huge progress for women and girls," he said. “Karzai and his government are committed to rights for women."
Finally, he said Pakistan should not fret about increased economic investment in the country by India.
“No zero sum here,” he said. “We believe that all countries stand to benefit from a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
