No one would regret establishment of peace in Afghanistan: Abdullah

AVA- Addressing a conference in Kabul on women in peace process, Abdullah said that those who stop fighting and join peace should not feel disgraced.
Abdullah reiterated that the government has no preconditions for launch of negotiations with the Taliban. He said that the opportunity for peace should not be missed.
According to the official, the peace process would lead to an outcome that would be welcomed by all Afghans.
Abdullah also said that the government is open to changes to the Constitution through constitutional means, but the first Article which says Afghanistan shall be an Islamic Republic, independent, unitary and indivisible state could not be changed.
He also said that Afghanistan was not going to get back to dark ages of the past and assured that the government’s negotiating team would reflect the demands of people.
Efforts to end 17-year-old conflict through political solution have accelerated in recent months. On Tuesday, the government named members of an advisory board for peace that would provide input into the negotiations with the Taliban.
The combination of the board, however, drew criticism from Habiba Sarabi, a female deputy chairperson of High Peace Council, who said women were not equally represented in the board. The board has 33 members including two women.
At the conference, US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass said that the contributions of women to achieving an end to the conflict are critical to the success and sustainability of the effort.