KABUL - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that Afghans across the board want peace and that Islamic countries should put pressure on extremist groups to join the peace process.
Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat – an Arab newspaper – Ghani said it was important for Taliban to separate itself from terrorist groups that pose a threat to Islamic nations.
“We hope that Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, exert pressure on extremist leaders to push them toward reconciliation,” he said.
Ghani also said that Afghanistan had strong relations with Saudi Arabia describing them as strong and essential. He said Afghanistan has good ties with other Islamic countries, including the United Arab Emirates.
On Pakistan he said Pakistan’s best interest lies with the Afghan government.
On Daesh he said the group was a threat to the entire region.
“Unfortunately, when you look at the history of these groups you see that each lifespan is on average between 20 to 40 years and we need a minimum of 20 years to stop them,” Ghani said.
“Are you concerned regarding foreign interventions in Afghanistan’s internal affairs?” asked the newspaper.
In answer Ghani said: “Millions of Afghans resorted to neighboring countries at the beginning of the crisis and some moved to different cities in Afghanistan. By the end of 2016, one million Afghans returned to their country and we welcomed them.”
He said: “Unfortunately, some countries differentiate between a good and a bad terrorist – those who conduct operations outside their countries are good terrorists and vice versa.” (Tolonews)