Afghan Civil Society and a Comprehensive Peace Process 

USIP 

The transition from war to peace in Afghanistan requires much more than high level official negotiations and low level reintegration efforts. A comprehensive Afghan peace process would also facilitate discussion amongst diverse civil society sectors about their relationship with the Afghan government and on the future relations between diverse groups in Afghanistan. A political settlement without significant progress on these two other dimensions is unlikely to produce a national consensus supporting sustainable peace.

Excluding or limiting civil society input into formal negotiations creates long-term problems. First, it rewards groups who use violence with political influence and positions of power, further entrenching illegitimate and ineffective governance. Second, a peace agreement that excludes public input and interests will lack public ownership of the agreement and the political will required to implement it.

Members of civil society fear that government and armed actors will use negotiations to achieve narrow political goals that will benefit particular ideological, ethnic, tribal or religious groups and undermine the Constitution, human rights and justice, further fragmenting the country. Civil society leaders flag the continued exclusion of public interests in the National Peace Council and current peace talks, and before that in the 2010 National Peace Jirga and the 2001 Bonn Agreement. Public discussions on how to tackle corruption, and how to enshrine Islamic values supporting human rights and women's rights, for example, are important elements of building a national consensus on the future of Afghanistan. The long and messy process of all stakeholders coming to understand each other's underlying interests through wide consultations and public dialogue is necessary for all to understand why certain provisions in an agreement may be the best possible outcome.

Researched/Written by  Matthew McGrath 

ITALY: Parliamentary committee approves draft bill on face veil ban
On Tuesday, an Italian parliamentary committee passed a draft law which, if passed, will ban women from wearing face veils in public, including the burka, niqab or any head wear which covers the face. The bill would fine those who defy the ban €150-300 and some form of community service. For those who forced someone else to wear the veil, the penalty would be €30,000 and up to 12 months in jail. The bill is supported by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's central-right coalition and will go to a parliamentary vote after the summer recess. Comment: The bill would expand a decades-old law that prohibits people from wearing face-covering items in public places for security reasons. Italy, with a Muslim population under one million, is the latest European country to take action against the burqa. Belgium passed a ban last week, and France last year. The Italian law was sponsored by Souad Sbai, a Moroccan-born member of parliament who said she wanted to help Islamic women better integrate into Italian society. Many critics argue, however, that such bans in Europe will only further stigmatize the Muslim population. (BBC, The Guardian, UPI, The Telegraph)

KOSOVO: Government rejects NATO-Serbia deal as hundreds more peacekeepers arrive
NATO and Serbian officials reached a draft agreement Wednesday on two border posts in Kosovo's Serb-dominated north. The ethnic Albanian-led government in Pristina, however, rejected the deal out of concern that its sovereignty could be weakened, calling it "unacceptable and unfeasible." The deal would keep two disputed border posts in the north under the control of NATO peacekeeping forces until September and would remove road blocks set up by Serbs after Kosovo's government deployed special police units to take control of the border crossings last Wednesday. Troops from Kosovo Force (KFOR), numbering about 6,000, stepped in to guard the border after last week's unrest. KFOR is sending an additional 600 German and 100 Austrian troops to relieve those already in the area. Comment: An ethnic Albanian police officer was shot dead and a border post set on fire in subsequent violence last week, which forced NATO peacekeepers to intervene. The government in Pristina wants to deploy its customs officials at the border posts in order to enforce an import ban against Serbia. The import ban is the latest trade dispute that began when Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade refuses to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state and has blocked Kosovo's exports. (RFE/RL, Deutsche Welle, BBC, Balkan Insight, RIA Novosti)

TAJIKISTAN: Government bans minors from mosques and mandates secular study
On Wednesday, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed a law that bans children under the age of 18 from attending regular Friday prayers in mosques in a stated attempt to prevent Islamic radicalization. The controversial law holds the parents of underage children attending Friday prayers legally responsible for allowing them to do so. It also requires minors to study in secular schools, thus barring thousands of students from attending mosque schools seen by authorities as a breeding ground of Islamism. The law allows children who study at state-run religious schools to attend mosques and join religious associations, but others may only pray at mosques on religious festivals and at funerals. Comment: The law was signed despite vocal resistance from rights activists and the opposition Islamic Revival Party. Critics argue ordinary people will simply ignore it and continue to allow their children to pray in mosques. Tajikistan, an impoverished and predominantly Sunni Muslim nation, was ravaged in the 1990s by a civil war between government forces and a loose alliance of Islamists and democrats. The country shares a long and porous border with Afghanistan, and has seen increasing influence of Islam. (RFE/RL, Washington Post, AFP)

TURKEY: Kurdish politicians charged over alleged terrorist links
On Wednesday, Turkey charged 106 Kurdish politicians belonging to the main pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) of conspiring with an alleged terrorist group, the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK), when they demanded better conditions for imprisoned ex-rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Prosecutors said the appeal constituted terrorist propaganda and claimed members of the legal Kurdish movement are part of a conspiracy to support the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU. Another 152 Kurdish politicians are already on trial for alleged ties to the PKK, and 300 lawyers are accused of obstruction of justice. Comment: The investigation of the KCK began two years ago, and approximately 2,000 people have been detained so far. The political controversy is raising concerns within the EU, stalling Turkey's accession process and discrediting the Turkish government's claims they are seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict over Kurdish rights. Tension has grown since Kurdish politicians declared autonomy in the southeast last month, and PKK rebels killed 13 Turkish soldiers in clashes. (Hurriyet Daily News, BBC, Deutsche Welle)