August 6, 2019
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, says he has made “excellent progress” in his talks with the Taliban in Doha over the last few days.
Mr. Khalilzad made the announcement in a tweet on Monday August 5 ,2019 in which he added that he had also built excellent progress in Kabul last week.
The US envoy said that in his talks with the Taliban in Qatar, he has focused on the remaining issues in completing a potential deal with the Taliban that would allow for a conditions-based troop withdrawal.
Mr. Khalilzad said that he will travel to India on Monday for pre-scheduled meetings to further build international consensus in support of the Afghan peace process.
“My team and Taliban representatives will continue to discuss technical details as well as steps and mechanisms required for a successful implementation of the four-part agreement we’ve been working toward since my appointment,” Mr. Khalilzad said.
“Agreement on these details is essential,” he added.
This comes as the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that “major progress” has been achieved in the ongoing talks between the US and Taliban negotiators in Doha, Qatar, and that a potential agreement between the two sides will lead to intra-Afghan negotiations.
The Afghan government is fully prepared for direct talks with the Taliban, a spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sibghatullah Ahmadi, told TOLOnews on Monday.
“There are reports of comprehensive progress in these talks and we hope to reach peace after intra-Afghan negotiations,” Mr. Ahmadi said.
Source: TOLO news
Disclaimer: Views expressed on this blog are not necessarily endorsed or supported by the Afghan Studies Center and Center for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad.
