Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The first meeting of the steering committee of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation of Afghanistan was held.

According to Tolo news, the event was attended by the President of Afghanistan A. Ghani, the head of the Council A. Abdullah, ex-president H. Karzai, former vice-president Y. Kanuni, leader of the Mujahideen Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, ex-governor of Balkh A. Nur and other influential Afghan politicians.

Speaking at the meeting, A. Ghani noted that the negotiations have reached the second stage. At the same time, he noted the need for further consultations to continue the dialogue.

At the same time, observers focus on a number of remarkable statements by A. Abdullah, who, according to his current position, coordinates the process in Afghanistan.

The politician, noting that from now on, such meetings will be held regularly, stressed that the steering committee of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation represents all layers of Afghan society and the political diversity of Afghanistan. He also noted that the key principle of the body in its efforts to achieve peace are the national interests of the country, and "Afghanistan government is ready to fully interact with the Taliban to resolve all issues."

According to A. Abdullah, the primary goal of Kabul is to reduce the scale of violence and a permanent ceasefire, as well as to preserve the achievements of the Islamic Republic. He added that Afghanistan needed international and regional support to achieve lasting peace. At the same time, against the background of accusations of pursuing personal interests in the process of a political settlement, the head of the Supreme Council stated that there was no “personal agenda” in the peace process.

Summing up the event, the participants stressed the need to maintain unity and consensus among political leaders to advance the peace efforts.

US Secretary of State M. Pompeo welcomed the holding of the first meeting of the steering committee of the "inclusive and authoritative body", noting that the event is another positive step forward in the peace process.

In turn, the speaker of the Taliban Movement Z. Mujahid said that it was too early to comment on the formation of the Supreme Council, as it happened as a result of strong international pressure.

II. Commenting on the holding of the first meeting of key Afghan leaders in the framework of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, the Afghanistan Times indicates that the body began to fully function more than six months after its creation in May this year.

According to experts, this is progress in the consolidation of political forces in Afghanistan around the peace process, which will contribute to: 1) more effective leadership of the peace process and its coordination by the government, which will strengthen its position in the intra-Afghan negotiations; 2) accelerating the process of political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, local media draw attention to the absence of some influential political figures among the participants in the event, such as the head of Hizb-i-Islami G. Hekmatyar, the leader of Jamiat-i-Islami S. Rabbani, Marshal A. Dostum, which may testify to the persistence of divisions among the Afghan elites. Earlier G. Hekmatyar and leader of Jamiat-i-Islami S. Rabbani refused to participate in the Supreme Council.

Moreover, the agency "Khaama", citing its sources, disseminated information that R. Nabil, the former head of the intelligence department, S. Gilani, the head of the Afghan national solidarity movement, and 2 more representatives of the Afghan public were excluded from the list of 45 members of the Supreme council formed by A. Abdullah. Afghan analysts point to the disagreement between these politicians and the president as the reason. In this regard, S. Gilani said that “if A. Ghani cannot accept us, he will not accept the leaders of the Taliban”.

In general, experts believe that the formation and the beginning of the functioning of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation is a positive development in the peace process in Afghanistan. However, incomplete involvement of representatives of the Afghan political landscape will limit the potential for peace negotiations in Doha in the context of establishing a comprehensive peace in the country.