29 June 2010 - Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a decree today to launch the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme.

The programme intends to attract Taliban foot soldiers and low rank commanders from the battlefield by offering them jobs, literacy and vocational training and promote community development programmes.

To join the programme, insurgents must renounce violence, declare their respect for the Afghan constitution, and sever ties with al-Qaida or other terrorist networks.

An advanced draft peace and reintegration programme was released at the end of April, which included a review of the list established by the UN Security Council resolution 1267 (1999), political accommodations, exile to a third country, transitional aid to individuals, community development projects, creation of an agricultural and conservation corps, job training and de-radicalization programmes.

The Afghan Government has established a high-level council to oversee implementation of the peace and reconciliation process. It has begun to review detention records, with a view to releasing Taliban being held without adequate evidence. The government is also preparing information on individuals listed on the 1267 sanction list to submit to the Security Council for its reviews.

The programme will be discussed in July at the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board, a joint Government–donor body, and the Kabul Conference on 20 July.