DOHA (SW) – The contact groups of the Afghan government and the Taliban held their first meeting last evening in the Qatari capital Doha.
The Afghan government's peace negotiating team tweeted that the two sides discussed the principles of conduct, the timing of the first round of talks and other related issues. It is said that this meeting will continue on Monday.
The two sides' contact groups were set up on Saturday after the opening ceremony of the intra-Afghan dialogue. The Afghan government’s contact group has 7 members and the Taliban contact group has 5 members.
Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, Ahmad Nader Naderi, Enayatullah Baligh, Mohammad Nateqi, Zarar Ahmad Muqbel, Fawzia Kofi and Khalid Noor are members of the contact group of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan while Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, Noorullah Nouri, Sheikh Delavar and Sheikh Qasim are members of the Taliban’s contact group.
The official talks between the two sides that were scheduled for Monday, Sep. 14, have been delayed due to the continuation of meetings between the two contact groups.
Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council of National Reconciliation, told a news conference in Doha on Sunday that he expected the level of violence to drop sharply as intra-Afghan talks begin, leading to a humanitarian ceasefire.
ENDS
