President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday he would redouble his efforts towards achieving peace in Afghanistan if he is re-elected later this month, according to Reuters. Former Taliban officials have been trying to mediate between Karzai and the insurgents since late last year, but the prospect of peace talks has gained new impetus under U.S. President Barack Obama and with Afghanistan's Aug. 20 ballot looming. "Our happiness and grievances have been mixed. Terrorism still harms us, the killing of humans and the destruction of this land is still going on," Karzai told a rally of several thousand followers in Kayan, a valley in Afghanistan's mountainous north. "After succeeding through your votes, the start of my first day of work will be to intensify the efforts for peace in this land," Karzai told the people in Kayan. One option could be to speak directly to the Taliban. Karzai's government said in April it has been in touch with opposition forces, while former Taliban officials have been attempting to mediate between the two sides since late last year. The Taliban has repeatedly rejected Karzai's peace overtures, saying talks can only take place once all foreign troops have left Afghanistan. The election is being fought against a backdrop of increased violence. Attacks this year had already reached their worst level since the Taliban's removal in 2001 and have escalated further since thousands of U.S. Marines and British troops launched major operations in southern Helmand province. On Monday, Karzai's government said it had struck a ceasefire deal with the Taliban for the election in a remote province in the northwest, the first of its kind. Senior Taliban leaders however later said there was no ceasefire with the government anywhere in Afghanistan. Three days later the Taliban issued a statement vowing to disrupt the poll and called on Afghans to boycott the vote. The election, Afghanistan's second direct vote for president, is a stern test of Kabul's ability to stage a legitimate and credible ballot and of Obama's new regional strategy to to defeat the Taliban and stabilise Afghanistan. With Obama identifying Afghanistan as his main military priority, the Helmand operations are the first major offensives under his new strategy. Karzai said he would need the help of the international community in making his peace efforts reach fruition. There are now about 101,000 U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, with Washington to boost its current 62,000 to about 68,000 by the end of the year compared with 32,000 at the end of 2008. Part of their job is to help secure the election. Karzai said his second priority if re-elected would be to boost ties with the United States -- often frayed over the issue of civilian casualties in the fight against the Taliban -- and with Afghanistan's neighbours and other Islamic nations. With foreign aid accounting for about 90 percent of the budget in Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries, Karzai said his nation still needed international help. Any progress made since the overthrow of the Taliban would not have been possible without the West, he said. Speaking on a plateau under a baking sun, Karzai told cheering supporters, many who had travelled long distances and slept on the ground overnight, that improved education was a long-term solution for Afghanistan. While relatively peaceful, Kayan is among the poorest areas of the country and is home to some 12,000 followers of the Ismaili sect of Shi'ite Islam.
