Monday, November 02, 2020

ON THE GROUND

‘A matter of life and death’: Native Americans speak out about the US elections

Issued on: 29/10/2020 -
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A matter of life and death': Native American voices on the US presidential election

In the second of our special reports looking at the forgotten voters of the US election, we travel to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, home to the Oglala Lakota tribe, beset by unemployment, poverty and alcohol addiction. For many here, voting is low on the list of priorities, though some are trying to change that.

The vast reservation, deep in the South Dakota Badlands, is currently on lockdown amid a surge of Covid-19 cases and no outsiders are allowed in.

The health crisis is just the latest problem facing the reservation, where unemployment is around 80 percent and poverty and alcohol addiction are rife.

A number of its current and former residents can be found in nearby Rapid City, including at the Hope Center, which helps the homeless and poor, and where around 85 percent of those using its services are Native American.

"I'm homeless out here. I walk around all day looking where they have meals here for homeless people," Edna, a Native American at the Hope Center, told FRANCE 24. "So I walk around and try to make it to that place where they have a meal.

"I don't think I will ever vote. I never have and I don't… And maybe I won't ever vote," she said.

Click on the video player to watch the full report.

ON THE GROUND

Nebraska: Life as a Democrat in the 'reddest' corner of America

Issued on: 31/10/2020 -

Bill and Delores Schatz at their home near Seward, Nebraska, USA, on October 29, 2020.

Text by:Sam BALL|

Video by:Sam BALL

In the third in our series of reports on America's forgotten voters, we are in Nebraska's third congressional district where Donald Trump won 74 percent of the vote in 2016, making it one of the "reddest" parts of the country. For the region's few Democrats, merely expressing their political views can be daring.

Unlike most other states, Nebraska splits its electoral votes between congressional districts and the third district is possibly the most pro-Republican part of America. It hasn't backed a Democrat at the polls since 1936 and ranks low on the list of priorities for both presidential candidates.

For Jessica Manley, chair of the Democratic Party in Seward County, within the 3rd, this means her job can be a challenge.

"It's a great place to raise a family, however it's not a great place to maybe voice a different opinion," she told FRANCE 24.

"You just kind of know who you can talk to and who you can't talk to about certain issues, especially political issues."

Nevertheless, some are unafraid to publicly display their party allegiance. But doing so can be risky, as Bill and Delores Schatz found out after putting up a sign reading "Dump Trump" outside their home.

"We were in the house, it was about 10.45 at night, and we heard two loud bangs and I came out with a flashlight and somebody had shot at the sign with a shotgun," said Bill.

"Kaboom! Very loud, very loud. It scared me," added Delores. "They make me a little nervous because they are armed people."

Click on the video player to watch the full report.

‘Respect for our lives’: Colombia’s former FARC rebels march in Bogota to protest against murders

Issued on: 02/11/2020

Former guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) participate in a protest called "Pilgrimage for Life and Peace" demanding security guarantees and compliance with the peace agreements signed with the government in Bogota, Colombia on November 1, 2020. © Luisa Gonzalez, Reuters

Text by:NEWS WIRES

Around 2,000 former FARC guerrillas rallied in the Colombian capital Sunday to protest the murder of 236 ex-combatants since signing a 2016 peace agreement.

Members of the former rebel movement turned political party arrived in Bogota after completing a 200-kilometre (125 miles) march from the southern town of Mesetas.

"We are mobilising to demand respect for our lives and also for compliance with the peace agreement," FARC Senator Victoria Sandino told AFP, faced with what she called a "genocide against the signatories" of the 2016 peace agreement that ended a half-century of conflict.

Sandino holds one of 10 Congress seats reserved for FARC under the peace deal, when the bulk of the movement laid down its weapons.

The march began in Mesetas on October 21, following the killing of two local ex-FARC combatants days before.

Two more ex-rebels were killed on October 24 as the delegation continued towards Bogota, in what Rodrigo Granda, one of the negotiators of the agreement and a leader of the party, described as "a low blow to peace."

'State responsibility'

On Sunday, the ex-rebels marched to Bolivar Square in the historic center of Bogota, converging with two other delegations from the south and north of the country to demand a meeting with right-wing President Ivan Duque.

Duque came to power in 2018 vowing to modify the peace agreement made by his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, which he considered too lenient on former rebels accused of atrocities.

However, Congress has rejected the move.

The marchers banged drums, blew trumpets and waved banners, including one with the slogan, "Duque: we did not sign the peace deal to be killed."

"We are asking the president to meet with us so that we can talk about the challenges facing the Colombian state in guaranteeing the safety of its citizens," said Pastor Alape, a prominent FARC party leader.

According to the FARC, 236 signatories of the peace deal have been killed since it was signed.

"There is a state responsibility in these crimes," said Alape, adding that the killings have been motivated by "intolerance in the speeches of government officials, and the president of the republic himself."

The government says drug-trafficking organizations are behind most of the killings, as they fight a turf war over the production and export of cocaine through Central America to the United States.

(AFP)

US whistleblower Snowden seeks Russian citizenship ahead of son’s birth

Issued on: 02/11/2020 -

In this November 4, 2019 file photo, former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden addresses attendees through video link at the Web Summit technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal. © Armando Franca, AP

Text by:NEWS WIRES

U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden and his wife are applying for Russian citizenship in order not to be separated from their future son in an era of pandemics and closed borders, he said on Monday

Snowden's wife, Lindsay, is expecting a child in late December, the RIA news agency cited Anatoly Kucherena, his Russian lawyer, as saying.

Snowden, 37, fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the U.S. National Security Agency where he was a contractor.

U.S. authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges brought in 2013.

A long time in the making: our greatest collaboration is coming soon. pic.twitter.com/ElI9taxWOS— Lsjourney (@lsjourneys) October 28, 2020

"After years of separation from our parents, my wife and I have no desire to be separated from our son. That's why, in this era of pandemics and closed borders, we're applying for dual US-Russian citizenship," Snowden wrote on Twitter.

"Lindsay and I will remain Americans, raising our son with all the values of the America we love — including the freedom to speak his mind. And I look forward to the day I can return to the States, so the whole family can be reunited.

"Our greatest wish is that, wherever our son lives, he feels at home."

Russia has already granted Snowden permanent residency rights, his lawyer said last month, a vital step towards Russian citizenship.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in August he was considering a pardon for Snowden. Trump is running for a second presidential term against Democratic challenger Joe Biden at elections on Tuesday.

Snowden keeps a low profile in Russia. He has praised the country's natural beauty and the warmth of its people, while using social media to criticise government policy from time to time.

(REUTERS)

France fears fresh wave of domestic violence amid second Covid-19 lockdown

Issued on: 02/11/2020 - 13:47

Women's rights groups protest violence against women in Versaille, France on September 24, 2020. © Christophe Archambault, AFP

Text by:Marie CAMPISTRON

During its first Covid-19 lockdown in the spring, France saw a steep rise in domestic abuse cases. As the country’s 67 million have now entered a second lockdown, women’s rights groups fear that the isolation will spark a new wave of domestic violence, and have put a number of safety measures in place to try to help victims.

As France on Friday hunkered down for a four-week lockdown in a bid to stem the resurgence of the coronavirus, women’s rights groups immediately sounded the alarm, pointing to the spike in domestic violence cases reported during the country's first lockdown, which occurred from March 17 to May 11.

“We saw women come out of that period very damaged. The lockdown increased tensions [at home] and led to serious acts of violence,” Françoise Brié, the head of France’s National Federation of Solidarity for Women (FNSF), which runs the country's 3919 domestic violence hotline, told FRANCE 24. “Unfortunately we expect this type of violence to increase again. And so we’re building on our experience from this spring and will try to adapt the protective measures should the lockdown be extended.”

As the first wave of Covid-19 raged across Europe and resulted in several countries going into lockdown, the World Health Organization recorded a 60 percent jump in calls to European domestic violence hotlines. In France, the number of calls swelled to 44,235 during the country’s two-month spring lockdown. Compared with 96,000 calls over the full year of 2019, the lockdown tally represented a near 30 percent increase. After the first lockdown concluded, the number of reported cases in France dropped back to more typical levels.

‘Won’t need a form to escape’

Brié said that thanks to the fact that the restrictions of the second lockdown, which went into effect on October 30, have been somewhat relaxed – both schools and help organisations will remain open this time – women “shouldn’t hesitate to flee their homes if they are in danger, to call 3919 or ask for help”, noting that “even though we’re not in a full lockdown, this is never an easy period for women”.

On Friday, women’s rights groups met with French Minister for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Élisabeth Moreno to discuss the measures put in place to protect domestic abuse victims during the present lockdown. Women fleeing violent situations will not be required to carry a signed form before leaving their homes, and temporary support centres will be available in shopping centres and in more than 20,000 of France’s pharmacies. In the long term, the government has vowed to make these “pharmacy alert centres” permanent.

Police officers and health professionals will also be given guidelines to help “identify and help victims of domestic abuse”. And the time limit for medical abortions will be extended to cover pregancies of up to nine weeks, two weeks longer than usual.

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Brié also underscored the need for the government to help fund the country’s emergency response and legal services. During the first lockdown, the number of police home interventions in France rose by a staggering 48 percent, “five times more per day, and per region, than the average”, according to a government report published in July. “We hope that any legal measures will be taken quickly against perpetrators, and that [emergency] protective orders [aimed at restraining an abusive partner from a victim] will be put into place again,” Brié said.

Free Uber rides

Ahead of the present lockdown, the 3919 hotline teamed up with the ride-hailing company Uber, which has promised to provide 2,000 free rides to help transport victims of domestic abuse. Uber has provided the FNSF with ride vouchers which will be distributed among the organisation's network of women’s aid groups. “Transport shouldn’t be an issue if you need to get away. These women can use these vouchers to leave their homes, to file a report with the police, to go to an association, or to visit a doctor,” Brié explained. During France’s first lockdown, Uber provided domestic abuse victims with 1,000 free rides.

But leaving an abusive home can be difficult if a victim doesn’t have a place to stay. The FNSF has therefore linked with private partners to offer hotel accommodation to those who need it. The French government is also expected to provide partial financing, as it did in the spring. “We provided emergency accommodation for more than 80 women in the Paris region during the first lockdown. The challenge lies in the ability to react quickly, because we could have housed even more. We know that, over time, more and more women will come forward and ask us for help. If the lockdown is extended, these types of demands will only increase,” Brié said.

This article is an adaptation of the original in French.

America's homeless: The unheard voices of the presidential election

HOMELESS JESUS

Issued on: 02/11/2020 -

Text by:Sam BALL|

Video by:Sam BALL

More than half a million Americans are estimated to be homeless and Covid-19 is threatening to force many more who have lost jobs or income onto the streets. Most, however, are unlikely to vote. As part of our series of reports on America's forgotten voters, FRANCE 24 went to Kansas City, Missouri, to find out why.

At a shelter operated by reStart Inc in Kansas City, those who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets can come to get a free meal and a warm bed, and managers say demand is on the rise.

"Particularly we're seeing a very large increase in demand for our family emergency shelter. We have seen the number of families calling triple over the course of the pandemic," restart CEO Stephanie Boyer told FRANCE 24.

But ahead of an election where every vote could count, the chances are that few here will be casting a ballot, despite the best efforts of staff at the shelter.

"We have actually hosted two rounds of registration to have people living here vote," said Boyer. "We haven't really seen a large number of people be that interested."

Turnout among homeless people in US presidential elections is estimated at just 10 percent, put down in part to many states requiring a mailing address to register to vote.

Although those in shelters like restart can use their address there to register, some simply feel casting a ballot will make little difference.

"Sadly I think all politicians are corrupt in their own way, shape or form and that's why I'm not going to vote," restart resident Hazel told FRANCE 24. "It's just, yeah I understand that we have to vote and it's for the future or whatever but I don't know. I mean I'm homeless as sh*t. I'm trying to actually deal with my own issues."

Click on the video player to watch the full report.

'Danger was coming': lone protester who defied Thai police

Bangkok, Thailand

Photography by Jorge Silva. Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat.

Head down, arms spread, one man pushes with all his strength against rows of Thai riot police behind their shields.

The Reuters image of the night of Oct. 16, when police tried to use force to disperse protesters, has become one of the most widely published of months of demonstrations to call for the ousting of the government and reforms to the powerful monarchy.

For the man in the picture, Anurak Jeantawanich, 52, it was the moment when he tried to stop them.

"I could sense danger coming," he told Reuters.

Jeantawanich gestures and shouts.

Having witnessed a bloody crackdown on "red shirt" anti-establishment protests a decade ago, he had more experience than many of the youth protesters as he crouched beside them facing riot police and water cannon behind a barricade of colourful umbrellas.

Anurak heard police counting down. On three, he jumped out to face them, he said.

"I looked each of them in the eye and told them not to come any closer, that there were a lot of young students and girls," Anurak said.

Water with tear gas shot from a water cannon flies over demonstrators.

Seconds later, police started firing what they have described as water containing chemicals that cause skin irritation, which went over his head and directly at protesters behind him.

"I rushed to push back against them," he said. "There was no fear in my heart. If my daughter was behind me, so were the sons and daughters of other people."

Police pushed. Anurak fell back. He described being yanked off his feet and "crowd-surfed like in concerts" by rows of police, before being cuffed with cable-ties and put into a police wagon.

From inside the vehicle, he said he heard water cannon being fired and shouts from protesters, some of whom scattered before the protest was halted for the day.

A Thai police spokesman said they had only used internationally accepted methods for countering the protest.

The images of that night stirred greater anger and brought much bigger protests until Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha last weekend ordered a stop to emergency measures he had imposed on Oct. 15.

Anurak, an activist who sells political T-shirts and other items, was among those arrested for violating the emergency measures. He spent a night at a regional police unit before a court dismissed the police petition for his detention and he was freed.

Jeantawanich pushes against police officers.

He would not hesitate to do the same again, he said.

"If I had to risk my life to protect the young people and for our victory, I'd do it. It would be worth it," he said.

THE WIDER IMAGE

'Danger was coming': lone protester who defied Thai police

TWO OF

11 Powerful Portraits Of Modern American Witches

In Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America, photographer Frances F. Denny gives a glimpse into the lives of witches across the country.

Arianna ReboliniBuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on October 30, 2020,

In Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America, award-winning photographer Frances F. Denny presents a collection of portraits and insights gathered from three years spent meeting and photographing a diverse group of witches around the US. Below, 11 of those portraits.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/powerful-portraits-modern-american-witches

Leonore Tija (Montpelier)

Frankly, I think that if your witchcraft is not political, you are still asleep. We need to wake up from the idea that witchcraft is just an aesthetic, just a superstition, or just about consolidating magical power for personal gain. In a culture as racist and patriarchal and transphobic and homophobic and materialistic as ours is, if you don’t see the way witchcraft is radical and revolutionary, you have some waking up to do. —Leonore Tija

Marie and Ébun (New York)

Marie C. Nazon, PhD, LMSW: I belong to a pagan community, Triple Spiral of Dún na Sidhe, where we do full and new moon rituals and follow the Celtic traditions of Samhain, Imbolc, and the Brigid flame. It is a daily practice of connecting with the Goddess through prayer, meditation, and ritual. I am also a Priestess (Mambo) in the Vodou tradition of Haiti. I get more disparaging remarks about that than being self-identified as a witch.

A “witch” is any woman who is grounded in her power, able to manipulate/shift energy for her highest good whether in the boardroom, the bedroom, or the kitchen. Any woman who uses the knowledge of the forces of nature to heal, or consciously manifest, is a witch.

My daughter and I are women of color and voluptuous women active in our communities as healers. My daughter grew up in circles of women who practice all sorts of Indigenous spirituality. Within these spiritual traditions are also what one may call witches, so it is not unique to just the pagans. But it is in that tradition we connect most with the Divine Feminine.

Ébun Zoule (daughter to Marie): I was really into taking online quizzes in middle school. I remember taking a quiz about what kind of hippie I was and the result I received was “neo-pagan.” I was thrilled with that answer because I felt like I was special, that the kind of hippie that I was had more spiritual connections to the earth and the universe. It felt revelatory to me. “I am Neo-Pagan. Hear me roar!” Little did I realize that my whole existence was filled to the brim with witchy rituals and practices — I just never put the word to those experiences. Growing up, witches were always depicted as white women. Therefore, how could someone like me, a Black girl, be a witch?

Taking that quiz was pivotal. But the spiritual experiences that my mother specifically provided for me wholly transformed the way that I engaged with myself and my personal power and the rest of the world. I was shown through my mother’s spiritual communities that women (all kinds of women — lesbians, trans women, teachers, priestesses, water-pourers, fire-keepers, activists, Indigenous women, Black and Latina women) have the power to make change for themselves and the world. Now whether that was through praying in a sweat lodge, dancing naked around a fire with other women, or calling on the ancestors for a grieving ceremony, I made subconscious notes about the kind of person I wanted to be in this world. The title “witch” will never not be part of who I am and my legacy. It’s so powerful.

“Witch” is totally political for me. It is a political practice in that it allows folks to manifest things for themselves and their communities rather than relying on a capitalist system. Solutions are found through community and self-spiritual guidance instead of capitalism and all of the ways it drains people of their power. I think capitalism is afraid of the word “witch” because it implies self-sufficiency. How could capitalism work if everyone was self-sufficient? ●

Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America (Andrews McMeel Publishing) is out Nov. 10.

CRIMINAL CAPITALI$M

Eight takeaways from the NYT's bombshell story on Turkey's Halkbank

http://ahval.co/en-98410

Ahval
Last Updated On: Oct 31 2020

A new investigation by the New York Times revealed that U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials moved frequently to quash an investigation into Turkey's state-run Halkbank after the president was repeatedly lobbied by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

There have been many attempts to understand why and how the Erdoğan government and the Trump administration got on so well for several years. The case against Halkbank, which is accused of laundering up to $20 billion on behalf of Iranian entities to help them break U.S.-imposed sanctions, bank fraud charges, and concealing the nature of these illicit transactions from U.S. officials, has been one of the hot topics in the "bromance" between the two leaders.

So, what have we learned from the NYT investigation?

1. Trump tried, tried, and tried to quash the case against Halkbank

The NYT mentions several conversations between Trump and Erdoğan in which the Turkish president urged Trump to settle the Halkbank case and Trump responded tactfully, even though he supported a hard line on Iran.

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser, details a time when Erdoğan provided Trump with a memo maintaining the innocence of Halkbank. "Well, it looks convincing to me," Trump said after quickly skimming through the text, according to Bolton.

Later, the Justice Department told federal prosecutors in New York overseeing the case that senior officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, as well as the Justice Department itself, would be getting involved in the case.

Trump also reached out to former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to “fix” Turkey’s problem. Whitaker reportedly shot down U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Geoffrey Berman’s request to file charges against the bank at the beginning of 2019.

2. Key reason to remove powerful U.S. Attorney was... Halkbank

Trump also instructed Attorney General William Barr to address Erdoğan's requests that Halkbank avoid charges. After Barr took office in early 2019, he pressured SDNY prosecutors.

However, Berman resisted Barr's pressure and charges were finally filed against the bank in October 2019.

However, Berman was fired in June this year. The NYT says that the Trump administration’s “bitterness” over Berman’s stance on Halkbank was a key reason for his removal.

3. Trump has mixed personal and state businesses when it comes to dealing with Erdogan

The NYT said that Trump's personal interests in Turkey were also contributing to his approach to the case. Trump Towers has a branch in Istanbul and Erdoğan attended its opening ceremony along with Trump and other Trump family members. The U.S. president made nearly $3 million in profit from his business in Turkey recently, the NYT said. A month ago, the newspaper reported on Trump's tax records, which showed the president collected $13 million from Turkey since 2008 - far more than previously thought.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, represented Reza Zarrab, a Turkish-Iranian gold trader who implicated high-ranking Turkish politicians in a scheme to evade American sanctions on Iran. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, another person from Trump's close circle, has acknowledged that he filed false information about his lobbying work on behalf of Turkey. On top of that, the lobbying firm of Brian Ballard, a top Trump fundraiser, was paid $4.6 million by Turkey over two years, the NYT said.

4. Impeachment players involved with Halkbank: Giuliani, Barr and Pompeo...

The impeachment crisis against Trump over a July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in which he is suspected of urging his counterpart to investigate a political rival, involves the same players; Barr, Pompeo and Giuliani, the NYT said.

“This was a relationship that was really important for the United States to handle,” she told the Times of the Halkbank situation. “And at every turn, the president kept leaping in, and he wasn’t following the strategic threads of the relationship.”

5. Obstruction of Justice??

Bolton said Trump’s willingness to provide Erdoğan with a settlement in the Halkbank case was obstruction of justice “It was so idiosyncratic, so personal to Trump in the pursuit of personal relationships, that it was very dangerous,” the NYT cited Bolton as saying.

“And it does look like obstruction of justice.”

Bolton also said Trump told Erdoğan, in the presence of the former national security advisor, that he would get his people involved in the Halkbank case to "take care "of the matter.

6. Erdoğan began pressing Trump early and consistently...

All the reports imply that Erdoğan got a foot in the door early with Trump and he prioritised Halkbank in numerous meetings with the U.S. president for the last four years. Two of the top priorities of Erdoğan were to dismiss the charges against Halkbank and to get Zarrab out of jail, yet it seems he failed so far.

It should also be noted that Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin’s lobbying contract with Trump’s first National Security Adviser Mike Flynn was the earliest and most binding tie between the two leaders. Alptekin is the former head of the U.S.-Turkey Business Council. He has been indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors and currently cannot travel outside of Turkey. Flynn got fired from his position only weeks after Trump was inaugurated.

7. Now Halkbank became part of the U.S. elections

Erdoğan, his relationship with Trump and the Halkbank case have found a stage in the U.S. election race.

U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden has already taken aim at Erdoğan in a bid to highlight Trump's appeasement of authoritarian leaders. Biden said in an interview with the New York Times editorial board in December that he would embolden the Turkish opposition to defeat Turkey's strongman in elections if he became president. He also called Erdoğan an "autocrat", adding, "He’s the president of Turkey and a lot more."

Biden's words raised a storm in Turkey, with Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) blasting his comments as putschism and an example of foreign interference.

Halkbank will probably be one of the hot topics for discussion in the U.S.-Turkey relationship if Biden is elected, as a lawsuit against the company over its alleged role in a sanctions-busting scheme with Iran is set to continue in March.

8. The story has confirmed Turkish opposition figures' and critical news outlets' suspicion that Erdoğan prioritised the interests of his family and friends when dealing with the most powerful country on earth

Finally, the investigation published by the New York Times has shown how much the Turkish opposition has been right about the Zarrab and Halkbank cases and how much the Erdoğan government has prioritised the case when it comes to U.S.-Turkish relations.

The NYT investigation, strengthened by several first-hand witnesses, shows how Erdoğan saw the Halkbank case as a threat to his family, friends and allies and spent considerable time and political capital to press Trump to quash it. It is not immediately clear what Trump had gotten in return for his efforts besides a steady stream of income from his Istanbul Trump Towers.

Last week, Erdoğan confirmed to journalists that Turkey had tested Russian-made S-400 air defense missiles, much to the disappointment of Washington and other NATO allies. It remains to be seen if Trump approves any request by Congress to sanction Turkey should it fully activate the system.

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ahval.

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Iran’s role in Afghan peace process real, but US’ just a show: Afghan analysts

Kabul, Oct 31, IRNA – Afghan peace process has fruitlessly been for many years and now there is negotiations underway in Doha by the Afghan Government and Taliban initiated by the US and according to Afghan analysts is just a show for US elections, but, they say Iran’s role in Afghan peace is quite real.

In a webinar held in Tehran office of Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) to discuss the role of Iran and the US in Afghan peace process, the participants stressed that the US role is destructive and just to serve Trump Administration's election campaign.

The participants said with consensus that the US is present in Afghanistan just for its own regional aims and not to help the Afghan people.

Isa Hosseini said that Iran has always been seeking peace in Afghanistan and has a positive and constructive role in Afghanistan’s peace process, adding that peace in Afghanistan means peace in Iran.

He added that if the US really wants peace in Afghanistan, it should prepare the ground for Iran’s participation in the peace process.

Former Iranian ambassador to Afghanistan and Italy Abolfazl Zohrevand said that Iran has been focusing on issues of Afghanistan over the past 30 years and has announced that everything should be decided by the Afghan people themselves and others should just pave the way, adding that US has had no achievements in the past two decades in this regard.

He said that as shown in history, Iran and Afghanistan are like one soul in two bodies and the US doesn’t want this.

Zohrevand said that Taliban as the ones who destroyed Afghanistan and the US as ones who attacked the country have now made an agreement, and now they want the Afghan government to negotiate in Doha, adding that it is not peace talks; it is the process to destroy and disintegrate Afghanistan.

Mohammad-Esmaeel Qasemyar said in the webinar that Taliban regime was destroyed in the one-month invasion of the US but changed into a big force in the presence of the US and NATO forces.

He criticized the Taliban for being happy with the agreement they made with the US, but they are still killing their fellow countrymen.

Jafar Haghpanah, assistant professor for regional studies and the head of Desk for Afghanistan Studies in the Association of Political Sciences of Iran, said Doha talks suffer a structural deficiency – lack of coordination in the three domestic, regional, and international levels.

He added that others have not allowed Tehran to have its own initiative in Afghanistan peace talks while Iran has the ability to bring together a large number of Afghan people and parties, and advantage that the US, Pakistan, and others do not have such an ability.

Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban started in Doha on September 12 and have been going on with no progress. It is believed by Afghan analysts that the talks have reached an impasse.

Translated by: Hossein Abolqassemi

Edited by: Safar Sarabi

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