Joe Biden offers the Taliban a power-sharing deal in Afghanistan

The Biden administration has offered the Taliban a power-sharing deal in Afghanistan in the latest effort to bring America’s longest-running war to an end.

Defense Secretary Antony Blinken has urged both Taliban leaders and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to come together an negotiate terms as a matter of ‘urgency’, laying out a road map to peace.

Blinken’s proposals including a ceasefire, Taliban withdrawal from Pakistan, a caretaker ‘peace government’ the election of a single national government.  

He asked both sides to come to Turkey to start talks ‘within the coming weeks’ and warned that all options – including a full troop withdrawal currently scheduled for May 1 – remain on the table. 

The Taliban has been offered a power-sharing peace deal with the Afghan government by Biden’s administration if it is willing to lay down arms (file image)

The Biden administration’s position was revealed in a three-page letter and eight-page peace proposal sent by Blinken and which were leaked to Afghanistan’s TOLO News at the weekend.  

The draft, which has not been confirmed by the White House, was obtained by The Associated Press on Monday.

The document outlines the terms of a cease-fire and its enforcement, calls for the protection of the rights of women, children and minorities and envisions a truth and reconciliation commission aimed at healing 42 years of conflict. 

The Taliban received the draft and were reviewing it, said spokesman Mohammad Naeem.

There was no immediate comment from Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the draft proposal or a sternly worded letter from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In the letter, Blinken said Washington wanted to see progress on peace talks and mentioned the draft peace agreement, which calls for a new, inclusive government – which Ghani has resisted. 

In recent speeches, Ghani has said no interim government would be formed ‘as long as I am alive.’

But Blinken was uncompromising in his letter, which was released by…