Karzai is talking to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (again)

Karzai is talking to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (again) - The Majlis

A delegation from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami is in Kabul this week meeting with Afghan leaders, including president Hamid Karzai. Pajhwok dubs these "covert" peace talks -- suggesting that the government is worried about the public reaction.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar

The Hezb-i-Islami delegation presented a 15-point plan to Karzai; one of the points calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Afghanistan over a six-month period beginning in July. Other conditions include "the independence of the country and a lasting peace." The full 15-point plan hasn't been made public, but presumably it includes some kind of governmental role for Gulbuddin himself.

"I can confirm that a delegation of Hezb-i-Islami ... is in Kabul with a plan and has met with the president," Waheed Omar, a spokesman for Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said.

Haroun Zarghoun, a spokesman for the party, said the delegation might also meet with U.S. officials -- but the U.S. embassy in Kabul says there won't be any talks.

Hekmatyar's gestures towards the Karzai government aren't surprising: Karzai is under a lot of international pressure to accelerate his reconciliation talks with the Taliban, and Hekmatyar sees that as a tactical opening. What's surprising is that anyone is placing much stock in this dialogue. Consider this line from the Washington Post:

As U.S. and NATO officials revamp their strategy in Afghanistan, a renegade Afghan commander could prove central to U.S. plans to rein in the insurgency through negotiations.

This sentence sums up today's thinking -- but it was actually written in November 2008. Needless to say, Hekmatyar hasn't suddenly become a constructive force over the last 18 months. His militia is still killing people; he still hasn't agreed to any reconciliation deal with Kabul (a deal which few Afghans would welcome, honestly).

Negotiations between Kabul and Hemkatyar have been going on for years. They haven't accomplished much.