German diplomacy

Michael Steiner, who was one of the key architects of peace talks with the Taliban, announced his resignation two weeks ago. The German diplomat was "always welcome," President Karzai said at a farewell meeting in Kabul.

Steiner was highly regarded by both his Afghan and Pakistani partners as a well-informed and patient expert on regional issues. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, President Karzai's national security adviser, praised Steiner for his diplomatic efforts.

"Without a doubt, he played an important role in initiating the peace talks with the Taliban. There was an active exchange with the Afghan government, which we were very glad about," said Spanta.

Spanta warmly acknowledged that Steiner and the German government never tried to circumvent Kabul in the negotiations with the Taliban. This was an indirect criticism of attempts by the United States to hold talks with the Taliban in Qatar without the participation of the Afghan government.

"No peace accord can have the desired effect if it is not accepted by Kabul. Only the Afghan government can ensure in negotiations that the accomplishments of the last 10 years, such as our democratic constitution, will not be surrendered," Spanta said.

Peace at any cost is not an option for Kabul. And on this point, Kabul feels that Berlin understands that better than any other Western government.

Spanta also said that he expected Steiner's successor, the German career diplomat Michael Koch, to continue the work that Steiner began. Koch, who takes over officially on April 1, is currently the ambassador to Pakistan and is considered one of the best German experts on the region.

Skepticism in Pakistan

The Pakistani side appears to be more skeptical. Afrasyab Khatak, a senator in the Pakistani parliament, interprets Steiner's departure as an indication that even highly placed Western diplomats do not expect a resolution of the Afghan conflict any time soon.

"When those who are knowledgeable of the current difficult situation are missing, that is regrettable," he said.

Germany, in Khatak's view, must not send the wrong signal at this moment. The impression must not be made that the West no longer has the necessary patience to pursue a lasting solution to the region's conflict, he stressed. The West left Afghanistan to its own devices after Soviet troops withdrew from the country in the 1980s, Khatak pointed out.

"The result was that international terrorism grew stronger. If this mistake is repeated, the consequences will be even worse," he said.

Khatak expects that Germany, as a credible and trustworthy partner in the region, will play a more active role in resolving the Afghan conflict. This, however, is a demand that Berlin cannot fulfill, according to Jochen Hippler, a South Asia expert at the University of Duisburg in Germany.

For one thing, says Hippler, the United States sets the tone in the region and would not tolerate Germany as a competitor, and secondly, the Taliban are not seriously interested in peace talks.

"At the moment, the Taliban do not believe that a negotiated peace accord is necessary. They see themselves as the winner of the war. There may be talks with some partial successes, but they will certainly not lead to peace," Hippler insists.

Whether or not Michael Steiner shares this pessimistic view of the situation and stepped down for this reason is not known. He has not made any public comments to date on the grounds for his resignation.

Author: Ratbil Shamel / gb
Editor: Anne Thomas