Insurgents take part in peace talks in Kabul

Afghanistan’s second-largest insurgent group sent a clandestine delegation to Kabul last week, for a second round of high-level peace talks, Afghan officials have told The Scotsman.

Representatives of Hezb-i-Islami delivered a detailed proposal which included plans to attend an international conference in Bonn in December.

British diplomats had hoped that the Taleban would also send representatives to the conference, but western officials said that remains unlikely because of the slow pace of secret contacts. It is still not clear if the Afghan government, the German hosts or the international community will let delegates travel to Europe.

However, is at least the second time officials loyal to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar – a former Afghan prime minister and US ally against the Soviets who is now on America’s most wanted list – have travelled to the Afghan capital for peace talks.

President Hamid Karzai confirmed he met Hezb-i-Islami delegates in March 2010, although his office denied claims he had met the delegation last week.

“The talks are still in the preliminary stages,” said Muhammad Ismail Qasimyar, a member of the Afghan government’s High Peace Council.

“They want participate in the Bonn conference and they want to make peace with the Afghan government.”

Reports yesterday claimed the US has endorsed plans for a Taleban office in Qatar, effectively bringing Afghanistan’s former rulers in from the cold and allowing them political representation for the first time since 2001.

Afghan officials said the prospects of a deal with Mr Hekmatyar’s party were good because many of their non-violent members have been rewarded with senior positions in the Afghan government, including the president’s chief of staff, Karim Khuram, the minister of education, Farooq Wardak, and the minister of economy, Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal.

“Hezb-i Islami has lot of influence on the president,” said a source close to the palace. “We think that a deal is likely.”