Afghanistan to ‘soon’ start negotiations with the Taliban

President Ghani holds a long meeting with his negotiating team in Kabul, wherein he emphasized the importance of the task that lay ahead – dealing with the radical Taliban and their demands – to ensure peace in the war-torn land

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New Delhi: Working in accordance with the resolution affirmed in the Consultative Peace Jirga, the Afghanistan Government has announced to soon start its negotiations with the radical outfit Taliban. The negotiations are the second, critical part of the peace deal the US-signed with the Taliban in February in Doha.

The President Ashraf Ghani-led administration announced its will to return to the negotiating table, as a senior delegation of the Taliban returned to Qatar, paving the way for the start of peace talks with the Afghan government which is expected to take place in the tiny Gulf state.

Masoom Stanekzai, the Head of the Afghan negotiating team, said that the intra-Afghan negotiations with the Taliban would start ‘soon’. Taking to Twitter, Stanekzai posted: ‘The recent resolution of the Consultative Peace Jirga is in fact a roadmap for direct peace talks based on the national interests of the country.’

He further added that ‘The negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on behalf of the people and the government, will soon begin peace talks with the goal of a prosperous, free and united Afghanistan in which the rights of all citizens are protected.’ The Head of the Afghan negotiating team denied divulging any details on when talks would commence although speculation has been rife this week that a negotiating team would leave Kabul for Doha, Qatar, for talks with the Taliban.

The development comes close on the heels after the Afghan Government released 200 of the 320 hardcore Taliban prisoners as per the Doha agreement signed in February between the US and the Taliban. Law enforcement officials from Kabul were quoted saying that the prisoner release process would soon be complete and once this was done talks would start.

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On 2 September, Faraidoon Khawzon, a spokesman for the High Council for National Reconciliation, stated that as soon as the prisoner release process has been completed a team will travel to Doha. As per Khawzon, all obstacles ahead of the intra-Afghan talks have been removed. The prisoner swap process will be completed soon. After the completion of the process, the talks will commence.

Meanwhile, President Ghani also met with the negotiating team in Kabul, wherein he emphasized the importance of the task that lay ahead. He was joined at the meeting by the Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah.