KABUL (SW) – The US has expressed intention to review its peace deal inked with the Taliban in February last year.
The newly elected President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib on the telephone on Friday. The two officials discussed the US-Afghan partnership and peace in the Asian country, said a statement by National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne.
The US will back the peace process to help the Afghans and the Taliban “achieve a durable and just political settlement and permanent ceasefire,” Sullivan said during the conversation.
“Mr. Sullivan also made clear the United States’ intention to review the February 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement, including to assess whether the Taliban was living up to its commitments to cut ties with terrorist groups, to reduce violence in Afghanistan, and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the Afghan government and other stakeholders,” said the statement by his office.
It added the two officials discussed US support for protecting the extraordinary gains made by Afghan women, girls and minority groups as part of the peace process. “Mr. Sullivan committed to consulting closely with the Government of Afghanistan, NATO allies, and regional partners regarding a collective strategy to support a stable, sovereign, and secure future for Afghanistan,” the statement added.
Sharing details about his telephonic conversation with Sullivan, the Afghan NSA Mohib said they agreed to work toward a permanent ceasefire and a just and durable peace in Afghanistan ‘capable of preserving the gains of the past two decades, protecting the rights of all Afghans, and continuing the reforms’.
He said in a series of tweets on Saturday Sullivan affirmed that the partnership with the government of Afghanistan and Afghan security and defense forces remains a priority and a key to US national security objectives. “We will continue close consultations in the days and weeks ahead”, he added.
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