KABUL (SW) – Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, has stressed the proposed peace talks with the Taliban must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire.
After six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar, he tweeted that the talks would resume soon. “We have a number of issues left to work out. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and “everything” must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire”, he noted.
He said the meetings were more productive than they have been in the past. “We made significant progress on vital issues”, Khalilzad stated.
Meanwhile, the Taliban have said in a statement that in accordance with the agenda, this round of negotiations revolving around the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and other vital issues saw progress; but since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions therefore it was decided that talks about unsolved matters will resume in similar future meetings in order to find an appropriate and effective solution and also to share details of the meetings and receive guidance from their respective leaderships.
“The policy of the Islamic Emirate during talks was very clear – until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible”, Zabihullah Mujahed, the Taliban spokesman stated. He added reports by some media outlets about agreement on a ceasefire and talks with the Kabul administration are not true.
ENDS
