KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on July 8 welcomed the Intra-Afghan Dialogue Conference in Doha (Qatar) and said he hopes it will lead to direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.
“It is expected that the meeting will lead to direct talks between the two sides including the government of Afghanistan and it will lead to peace,” Abdullah said at the Council of Ministers meeting on Monday.
Critics see direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban as a key to moving forward the peace process.
The Intra-Afghan Dialogue Conference entered its second day on Monday where more than 50 delegates from Afghanistan and 17 representatives of the Taliban attended on their “personal capacity” to discuss issues around the future of the peace efforts in the war-ravaged country.
The first day of the meeting was focused on wide-ranging discussions about the women’s rights, the freedom of the press, civilians protection, ceasefire, foreign forces withdrawal, the post-peace deal government, and other relevant issues, according to few delegates interviewed by TOLOnews.
In the meantime, U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has described the latest round of U.S.-Taliban peace talks as the “most productive” ever, telling RFE/RL that “a lot of progress” has been made.
Khalilzad made the remarks in an interview with RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan on July 7 at the conclusion of the first day of an intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar.
The Taliban previously refused to meet directly with any members of Afghanistan’s government, calling them “Western puppets.”
But the Taliban agreed to meet with individuals in the Afghan government who are part of an intra-Afghan delegation in Doha that also included opposition politicians, women, and members of Afghan nongovernmental organizations.
Khalilzad told RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan after the conclusion of the July 7 meeting that U.S. and Taliban negotiators were now closer to reaching an agreement on four key issues.
Those issues include the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, a permanent cease-fire, a Taliban guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used as a base for attacks in other countries, and an intra-Afghan dialogue that leads to a political settlement.
The July 7-8 intra-Afghan dialogue, organized by Qatar and Germany, is seen as an icebreaker that could lead to direct negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban leaders.
