KABUL (SW) – Sarwar Danish, the second vice president, has said the Taliban have not fulfilled any of their commitments to reduce violence and advance peace talks.
In a meeting with Stefano Ponticorvo, NATO’s senior civilian representative to Afghanistan, the second vice president said that the Afghan people do not believe in the Taliban’s sincerity in peace talks.
Referring to the release of some 5,000 Taliban prisoners by the Afghan government, Danish said that the people and the government of Afghanistan expected the release of Taliban prisoners to reduce the violence and pave the way for dialogue. However, he stressed that with the escalation of violence, this expectation has not been met.
The second vice president said there was evidence that the Taliban had not cut ties with terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network, despite their claims that the group’s agreement with the US was being implemented.
Ambassador Ponticorvo cited the reduction in violence as a key factor in advancing peace talks, and said the Taliban must live up to its commitments to reduce violence. He said that the stalemate in the peace talks should be lifted with the cooperation of partner countries and those involved in the Afghan peace process.
The NATO SCR stressed that human rights, freedom of expression and the rights of women and minorities and civic values are among the main demands of all Afghan people for lasting peace.
ENDS
