The Norwegian diplomat tells of secret meeting with mulla Omar in order to achieve peace with … – VG

Under the highly secret meeting in Pakistan in 2009, the Taliban leader, have echoed a desire for peace talks.

Da Afghanistan committee in June, put forward its report of the Norway’s contribution in the country, was it the smashing show stated:

the Attempt to build a stable and democratic afghan state through long-term assistance and fredsdiplomati failed.

But behind the lack of results, there is a many years long work defined by the secret conversations all over the world between Norwegian diplomats and the Taliban leaders in order to get stacked together peace talks between islamistbevegelsen and afghan authorities.

In a new interview with the New York Times tells the veteran diplomat Alf Arne Ramslien (71) that the Norwegian contribution in the delicate process in 2009 led him to an encounter with it he is sure that was the mulla Omar – the very fabled former Taliban leader.

Lived a life of utmost secrecy: The enøyde terror-strategist (requires login)

Bar signs of being sick

There two hours long meeting took place at night, in a deserted place outside the millionbyen Karachi in Pakistan. Mulla Omar, as not even the central figures in the Taliban were seen in the live of several years, the bar signs of being sick.

– He was obviously very sick. He was quite thick, something I had not expected. We knew that he had problems with diabetes and with kidney. Also his voice was snøvlete, says Ramslien in the interview.

The deceased Taliban leader, who led the insurgency from Pakistan, reiterated a desire to get to peace talks with the afghan government.

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from 2007 had Ramslien, which, through its diplomatarbeid in Pakistan from the 1990s had nurtured the relationship and the confidence of the Taliban leaders, has been designated by the islamistbevegelsen as the main character to facilitate peace talks with the afghan government.

Pakistan is the major obstacle

The Norwegian work led to a series of secret meetings between Norwegian diplomats and Taliban actors in Karachi, Bangkok and Oslo.

Public expressed the Taliban that they would never negotiate with the afghan government as it stayed foreign soldiers in the country, writes the New York Times. But Ramslien are stuck on that it was not a firm requirement, among other things, the meeting with mulla Omar should have shown.

Debate: It is now Afghanistan really need us

WANT the ROLE: Foreign minister Børge Brende (H) greet the delegation from the afghan authorities during the opening of the Oslo Forum at Losby Gods in 2015. The delegation was in the Uk to lead talks with the Taliban.

Photo: Heiko Junge, NTB scanpix

A far greater impediment to stable peace talks was Pakistan, according to Ramslien. The country’s etteretningsmyndigheter, ISI, undertook in 2010 a series of arrests of key Taliban leaders in the forefront of that should have been calls at the highest levels between the afghan government and the Taliban.

See also: Burned want role in talks with Taliban

It was difficult to continue the negotiations because of opposition not only from within the Taliban itself, but also from Al-Qaeda, and far more important, from the pakistani etteretningsmyndigheter, contends Ramslien.

today, the Taliban are stronger than at any time since the U.s. intervention in 2001. Ramslien lost even the hope, according to the New York Times, and took his last job as ambassador in Nepal before he left the foreign service in 2013.

– Says something about the status of Ramslien

Afghanistan-researcher Arne Strand at the Christian Michelsen Institute know Ramslien from research projects in Pakistan.

– I think there are hardly any other western diplomats who have met mulla Omar. This says something about the status of hr. Ramslien. He has had a tremendous trust and respect in many religious environments in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and talked in addition, fluent urdu, ” says Beach to the VG.

despite the fact that fredssamtalene has broken down countless times, won’t the Beach be the Norwegian diplomatbidraget in Afghanistan have been unsuccessful.

– Only that one has got the parties to meet, is in itself a success. One must keep in mind that this is a very difficult and prolonged process, with new leaders and contacts that change the premises for the negotiations ongoing, he says.

VG has, unsuccessfully, tried to get hold of Alf Arne Ramslien to this matter.