KABUL (TCA) — Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, during a visit to the country’s Nangarhar province on February 10, said the Afghan government is ready to allow the Taliban to open an office in Kabul, Kandahar or Nangarhar, Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews reported.
Ghani said “a sustainable peace and a peace with dignity” will come to the country and for this, he is ready to even sacrifice his life.
But remarks like this are not new as Ghani has made such statements in the past.
However, despite these offers, the Taliban has until now refused to hold talks with the Afghan government.
In the meantime, the U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, is journeying out again to several key countries as part of efforts to push a U.S. peace initiative for the war-torn country, RFE/RL reports.
The State Department on February 10 said Khalilzad, a former ambassador to Kabul, will head an interagency delegation from February 10-28 on visits to Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
“This trip is part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that protects U.S. national security interests and brings all Afghan parties together in an intra-Afghan dialogue through which they can determine a path for their country’s future,” the State Department said.
Qatar is the site of an office of the Taliban insurgent group, which is battling for control of the Afghan government and has been involved in recent peace talks with Khalilzad. Turkey and Pakistan — which is a neighbor of Afghanistan — are seen as key players in the region.
The United States has been attempting to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table with officials in Kabul.
