MONITORING (SW) – Zalmay Khalilzad, US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, has stressed there is no military solution for the conflict in Afghanistan.
He said this in a teleconference at the State Department. He said although the recent violence has raised questions about the peace process, and the path to peace, which is not straight and there are challenges and difficulties. "But, there is no alternative to pushing forward with peace. There is consensus, both in Afghanistan and internationally, that there is no military solution to the war in Afghanistan; that a political solution, a peace agreement among Afghans, is the only realistic option at the present time", he said.
The US Envoy said Washington wants a political settlement and also to make sure that Afghanistan never again becomes a platform to attack the United States or allies. "The United States-Taliban agreement opens a historic opportunity for moving forward on peace", he added.
Khalilzad said the US has urged all sides to reduce violence. "We have urged Afghans to come together to take advantage of the historic opportunity and have pushed President Ghani and Dr. Abdullah to reach a political agreement to form an inclusive government. We have pushed to get both sides, the Afghan Government and the Taliban, to release prisoners. Already some 1,011 prisoners have been released by the government, Talib prisoners, and 253 Afghan Government prisoners have been released by the Taliban", he said.
Khalilzad said the US wants to get to the intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible, and there has been a discussion of dates both in the agreement – that date was missed – and now a new date is under discussion. "Intra-Afghan negotiations are the only path to an enduring peace among Afghans", he said.
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