KABUL (SW) – The top US peace envoy has met the Taliban’s deputy chief in Qatar, the group announced on Tuesday.
The Taliban’s spokesman Mohammad Naeem announced that Mullah Baradar met with Zalmay Khalilzad, US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation and Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
“During the meeting, issues related to the speedy completion of the prisoner’s release process and the start of intra-Afghan talks were discussed in detail”, he said in a tweet. The Taliban claim ‘some’ of their prisoners are yet to be released, and as soon as those are released, the talks will begin.
Last week, a statement issued by the US State Department said Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad departed for Doha, Qatar on September 4. It said Khalilzad will be traveling in the region to advance ongoing U.S. efforts to promote the immediate start of intra-Afghan negotiations.
“The Afghan people are ready for a sustainable reduction in violence and a political settlement that will end the war. Afghan leaders must seize this historic opportunity for peace. All sides have taken important steps to remove obstacles for the start of IAN. Now is the time to start”, the statement said.
Earlier, the Taliban insurgents on Saturday named 21-member delegation for peace talks with the Afghan government.
ENDS
