World Community Should Prepare for Long Haul in Afghanistan: Rao

Warning international community about Taliban as part of the ‘very negative presence’ in Afghanistan, India has asked it to look for fast solutions to the problem and extremism and be ready for a long haul, reported PTI.

“There are certain forces that spread terror. The Taliban is part of the very negative presence,” foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, currently on a six-day US visit, was quoted a saying.

Rao highlighted that India had awareness of the Afghan society because of the centuries-old civilisationanal ties it had with that country and that the world community should ready itself for the ‘long haul and not to try to find quick solutions to the problem’, said report.

She also spoke against a distinction being made between a ‘good Taliban and bad Taliban’, report said.

The remarks came following the planning of the US and the Hamid Karzai government in Afghanistan to engage with moderate elements of the Taliban to include them into country’s polity.

“India and the international community have to stay involved in Afghanistan in order to deal with this problem that has been created by these extremist groups in this country.

“It is very important to deal with these problems in a way that Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous democracy. It this that is the core of what we are saying and what we convey to our friends like the United States,” Rao was quoted as saying.

“The United States fully recognises that India has legitimate interests in Afghanistan. It appreciates the development work we do there… It appreciates that we are force of stability and moderation in our region. We are not scaling down in Afghanistan,” she was quoted as saying.

In the course of discussion with her counterpart Bill Burns, she emphasized that Afghanistan posed the biggest security-related challenge in the region.

She also reiterated India’s long held stand that it was important for the international community to stay the present course in Afghanistan for as long as it is necessary.

“The US interlocutors conveyed their appreciation of the important developmental work being done by India in Afghanistan,” a statement from the Indian Embassy was quoted a saying.