MONITORING (SW) – The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has welcomed NATO’s statement focused on key next steps the alliance judged necessary for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
In a series of tweets, Zalmay Khalilzad reiterated the need for a humanitarian ceasefire to help manage COVID-19 outbreaks, urged the Taliban to reduce violence, called on the Afghan govt to end the political crisis, and said all sides should move more quickly on prisoner releases.
'How urgently and with what conviction the sides respond to these steps will determine whether Afghanistan moves forward or remains mired in war, poverty, and disease', he said.
Khalilzad said the US-Taliban agreement provides a historic opportunity for Afghanistan. 'The US and our allies, indeed the international community, call on Afghan leaders to put their country and their people first', he added.
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