KABUL (SW) – The top U.S envoy for Afghanistan has said despite significant progress on counter terrorism and troop withdrawal, there is still work to be done on other vital issues like intra-Afghan dialogue and a complete ceasefire.
Zalmay Khalilzad, Secial US envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation, said in a series of tweets on Thursday the path to peace in Afghanistan was still long and complex.
'The situation in Afghanistan is complex and like all sensitive talks, not everything is conducted in public… We are not even finished with these issues (agreement between the Taliban and the U.S over withdrawal of troops and no threats of terrorism emerging from Afghanistan) yet, and there is still work to be done on other vital issues like intra-Afghan dialogue and a complete ceasefire', he stated.
He said skeptics have rushed to judgment based on just the first part of a much larger effort. “But you can't eat an elephant in one bite! And a forty year old war won't be resolved in one meeting, even if that meeting runs for close to a week', Khalilzad tweeted.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced negotiations are proceeding well in Afghanistan after 18 years of fighting. ‘Fighting continues but the people of Afghanistan want peace in this never ending war. We will soon see if talks will be successful?” he questioned.
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