Peace should respect constitutional legacy: MEA

New Delhi: Any agreement between the United States and the Taliban on peace in Afghanistan could involve phased withdrawal of US troops from the country subject to adherence to guarantees that could be given by the Taliban that it would not indulge in violence in the war-torn country.

The two sides appear to be inching towards an agreement, with a draft agreement already taking shape. This was indicated by sources on Thursday.

Meanwhile, foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale will meet German Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and director for south Asia in the German Federal Foreign Office Ambassador Markus Potzel in New Delhi on Thursday.

The German diplomat is expected to push for a greater role for India in the Afghan peace process. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that on Friday, it would “exchange views with the Special Representative from Germany who is responsible for intra-Afghan dialogue”.

The MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said “any (peace) process (in Afghanistan) should respect the constitutional legacy and political mandate and should not lead to any ungoverned spaces where terrorist and their proxies can relocate”.

Pointing out that “all initiatives and processes must include all sections of the Afghan society, including the legitimately elected government”, Delhi expressed confidence that India’s “points of view will be part of any peace  process in Afghanistan”.