 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pakistan Clarifies Terms Of Tribal Peace Deal
Islamabad (AFP) Sep 12, 2006 Pakistan on Tuesday clarified the terms of a peace deal signed last week with tribal elders in the troubled regions bordering Afghanistan, saying pro-Taliban militants were not a party to it. "The agreement is between the tribesmen of North Waziristan and the government. It is not with the militants," the governor of North Western Frontier Province, Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, told a press conference. "The grand jirga (council of tribal elders) of the entire tribal area representing the elders and maliks (chieftains) actually brokered this deal between the government and the tribes," Aurakzai said. The peace accord signed on September 5 calls for the expulsion of foreign Al-Qaeda fighters from the restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan. Those who cannot quit will have to lay down their arms and pledge to live peacefully. The deal is aimed at ending two years of violence in the semi-autonomous tribal zone of North Waziristan where hundreds of people have died in clashes between security forces and Islamic rebels. The government in turn agreed to release those arrested during army operations and freed more than 130 detained tribesmen. It also restored privileges of tribal leaders to facilitate the peace process, officials said. A government spokesman said at the time of the signing that local officials, tribal elders, religious leaders and representatives of militant groups had signed the deal in North Waziristan's main town Miranshah. But Aurakzai explained he had called the press conference to clarify that the militants had not signed the deal, as earlier reported. He specified that "high-value targets" within the Taliban and Al-Qaeda movements would be not allowed to stay in Pakistani tribal areas under any circumstances. "Taliban are foreigners -- there is no place for them in any of our areas," he said. The deal had been criticised by analysts who voiced concern that Pakistan had conceded too much ground to militants as it relies heavily on the tribal elders for implementation. Despite the agreement, an elderly tribesman was shot dead in North Waziristan last week by suspected militants who accused him for spying for US forces operating in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan, a key US ally, has deployed some 80,000 troops along the border with Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban militants and Al-Qaeda fugitives who sneaked into the region after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links News From Across The Stans News From Across The Stans
NATO Chief Leads Extraordinary Talks On Afghan Reinforcements
Brussels (AFP) Sep 11, 2006NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on Monday chaired an extraordinary meeting of alliance ambassadors aimed at finding more troops to combat the tenacious insurgency in southern Afghanistan. The meeting followed a call last week by NATO's military chief, US General James Jones, for reinforcements of up to 2,500 troops to deal with increasing attacks by the Taliban militia, ousted from power in 2001. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
